Why apathy dogs voter registration in South-East, South-South

By Clifford Ndujihe, Dayo Johnson, Vincent Ujumadu, Sam Oyadongha, Dennis Agbo, Peter Duru, Steve Oko, Ugochukwu Alaribe, Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo , Chinedu Adonu, Alumona Ukwueze, Emmanuel Iheaka & Jeff Agbodo

LAGOS — Five weeks into the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration, CVR, being conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, apathy has seemingly continued to way the workout successful the South-East and South-South geo-political zones.

Analysis of information published by the INEC showed that successful 35 days the South-East recorded 76,493 online pre-registrations and 22,991 carnal registrations. The South-South had 280,904 online pre-registrations and 27,690 carnal registrations.

The figures drawn from 10 states of some zones are little than the 578,904 online pre-registrations and 83,284 carnal registrations recorded by Osun State, 1 of six states of the South-West.

Lack of religion successful the electoral process, inadequate accusation and publicity, cumbersome process, deficiency of assurance successful INEC, and mediocre mobilisation among others were fingered arsenic being liable for apathy successful the South-East, South-South and immoderate parts of the country.

According to INEC, online pre-registration covered September 15 to 21 portion carnal registration covered September 15 to 19.

Currently, the electoral committee said online pre-registration had been suspended successful Anambra State until aft the November 8 governorship election, successful enactment with Section 9 (6) of the Electoral Act 2002. So, determination is nary information for Anambra State.

Among the states, portion Osun is leading, Enugu is trailing, signaling a miserly 2,931 online pre-registrations and 426 carnal registrations.

The 10 apical performing states are Osun, Borno, Lagos, Ogun, Kebbi, Kaduna, Kogi, FCT, Kano and Oyo.

The 10 trailing states are Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Plateau, Rivers, Cross River, Benue, Edo, Adamawa, and Niger.

So far, the South-West portion is starring aft signaling 1,640,685 online registrations and 158,627 carnal registrants. It is followed by the North-West, 1,322,747(online) and 68,733 (physical).

The North-East has 99,312(online) and 52,646 (physical) registrants; and North-Central follows with 875,948(online) and 61,209(physical) registrations.

Broken down further, Southern Nigeria (1,998,082) trails the North(3,190,007) successful online registration but has the precocious manus successful carnal registration. In 5 weeks, the South had 209,308 compared to the North’s 182,588 carnal registrants.

Worried by the trend, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, past week, urged Ndigbo to instrumentality the voters registration seriously.

Don’t beryllium complacent – ACF

Speaking successful similar manner, National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, yesterday urged Nigerians to spell retired and register. He said: “ACF is successful support. It is an integral portion of the antiauthoritarian process. No eligible national should beryllium complacent astir it.”

Waiting for past minutes, mistrust liable for apathy— Afenifere

When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the Pan-Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, said that seeming apathy connected the portion of imaginable voting registrants could beryllium attributed to 1 of the characteristics of emblematic Nigerians connected a happening of this nature.

He said: “As is notoriously known, astir Nigerians often hold until the deadline of an workout of this nature. Experiences successful the past showed that radical volition beryllium rushing to workout their civic obligations erstwhile the substance is drafting to an end. This is wherefore immoderate elements of stampede usually creep successful arsenic galore would past beryllium rushing to beryllium attended to.”

Ajayi added that the spread (in signifier of mistrust) that has been created betwixt the radical and authorities implicit the years contributes to the deficiency of enthusiasm connected the portion of the imaginable registrants.”

On what should beryllium done to person much radical register, Ajayi called connected the electoral commission, National Orientation Agency, Ministries of Information and different agencies responsib...