Political Scientists Urge Nigerians To Get Voter Cards

Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA) yesterday urged Nigerians who person attained the voting property to enactment successful the ongoing elector registration exercise.

It arsenic urged eligible voters who had mislaid their elector cards to re- registry to alteration them enactment successful the 2027 wide elections.

The NPSA made the entreaty successful a connection signed by its president, Prof. Hassan Saliu and made disposable to newsmen successful Ilorin, Kwara State.

It noted that “while the existent governmental scenery whitethorn not conscionable expectations of Nigerians for accelerated development, abandoning the antiauthoritarian process whitethorn not beryllium the solution.”
It recalled that: “INEC, contempt having 93.47 cardinal registered voters earlier the 2023 elections, the fig pales successful examination to improved elector information and engagement, which stood astatine 24.9 million, representing astir 30 per cent of the registered voters aft the circular of statesmanlike elections successful 2023.

“The elector turnout rates astatine statesmanlike elections were astir 36.75% successful 2015, but plummeted to astir 34.74% successful 2019 and 26.72% successful 2023. Indeed, the disappointing fig for the participatory level successful Nigeria’s 2023 statesmanlike predetermination underscores the request for accrued civic participation.

“The announced programme of pre-physical online registration and on-land registration procedures presents an accidental for much Nigerians to enactment successful the electoral process. The pre-physical online registration allows citizens to registry from the comfortableness of their homes, portion the on-land registration procedures is the concluding signifier of the registration process. By leveraging exertion and improving elector registration, INEC tin heighten the credibility and transparency of the electoral process.

“The Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA) recognises that citizens’ disillusionment with politicians’ self-interest and unfulfilled promises contributes to their withdrawal from the electoral process. However, ideology is simply a corporate endeavour that benefits not lone the existent procreation but besides aboriginal ones. The progressive information of citizens tin signifier the aboriginal done forward-thinking policies and programmes.

“While the existent governmental scenery whitethorn not conscionable expectations for accelerated development, abandoning the antiauthoritarian process whitethorn not beryllium the solution. Instead, sustained engagement and information are indispensable for achieving meaningful outcomes. Democracy is simply a continuous process that holds the imaginable for change, requiring corporate effort and committedness to output tangible results.

“We, therefore, telephone connected Nigerians to clasp the programme arsenic the archetypal limb successful participatory democracy. The relation of citizens is crucial, arsenic the possession of voter’s cards would yet suffice them to ballot during elections. In the agelong run, they volition alteration into an electorate with much stakes successful the electoral process than conscionable being voters,” helium said.