By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
One of the leading civil rights groups in Nigeria, Network of Civil Society Organisations (NOCSON), has called on the various political parties in Edo State to galvanize their members for the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise being carried out by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state rather than discouraging it.
He made the call in Benin while speaking with Journalists on the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration exercise in the state.
The president of the group, Comrade Emmanuel Ogbidi said it is one thing for the INEC to be ready and another thing for the people to utilise the opportunity and make themselves available to be registered.
Ogbidi said that the people can easily make themselves available if the various political parties encourage their members to get themselves registered.
Ogbidi said also that it will be anti- democracy for anyone to try to discourage the INEC who is the body vested with the power to carry out the Continuous Voters Registration exercise adding that, such an individual doesn’t mean well for the state.
His words “You will agree with me that Continuous Voters Registration exercise is a critical tool in any democratic setting and dispensation because it avails eligible citizens the access to their PVCs so that they will be able to exercise their franchise and decide who governs them.
“Therefore, there is no way that anybody will undermine the Continuous Voters Registration exercise for any reason.
“I want to state categorically that, there is no reason that is strong enough to abort the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration exercise in the Edo State.
“Anybody that thinks that way, is either an enemy of democracy because it amounts to infringement on the fundamental human rights of those who have attained the age of 18, and disenfranchising millions of potential voters who would have benefited from the exercise.
“Those calling for its cancellation don’t understand how it will affect a lot of Nigerians especially as it relates to the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State.
“Our current research has shown to us that since the last Continuous Voters Registration exercise till date which is almost a year, over 900,000 youths have attained the age of 18 who were hitherto not up to, over 300,000 persons fall in the category of people whose PVCs are either missing or destroyed, some have moved from their previous voting areas and need to do a transfer”, Ogbidi said.
Ogbidi said that if the people who are opposing the CVR exercise succeed, over a million people will be disenfranchised just as he said that several thousands of the PVCs are currently lying fallow at the INEC office.
He said the period of the CVR exercise will enable those who have earlier registered for their PVCs to collect them adding that, what the INEC needs at this time is an encouragement and nothing more.
