A non-profit group, the Pega and Friends Foundation has commenced a sensitisation campaign across the nook and crannies of Ogun State, especially the Yewa axis, on the needs for the residents of the state to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to encourage political participation among the citizenry in the 2019 general election.
The group, in a statement issued by its founder, Prince Ekunola Gbenga Abraham (PEGA), on Sunday, said the essence of the sensitisation campaign was to engage the citizens of the state on the need to be more active in the electoral processes.
He said the foundation, based on its recent visits to some INEC offices, especially in Yewa South Local Government Area, discovered that the number of uncollected PVCs in the state was high and alarming.
He also revealed that state-by-state breakdown of the number of registered voters and their PVC collection rate revealed that only a total of 1,125,657, out of the over 1,829,534 registered voters of a voting population of 3,728,098, had collected their PVCs.
Noting the importance of the PVC to the 2019 elections, Abraham said: “Without your PVC, you are powerless. Without your PVC, you can only complain, you cannot contribute. That is why we are calling on those of you that have registered for PVC to go to INEC offices to collect it and express your political choice on the day of the election.”
He further said the self-imposed political apathy embraced by youths in the state would not resolve the national challenges or improve governance in the Ogun State, adding that such an attitude would only continue to stunt development in the state, compared to its neighbouring Lagos State.
Abraham, a political analyst and human rights activist, asserted that a survey conducted by his foundation corroborated earlier claims that the numbers of citizens in Ogun State above the age of 18 that do not have PVCs were more than those who have registered and collected their PVCs.
He stressed that this may disenfranchise the majority of the citizens in the State in light of the new e-voting card readers intended to be used for the 2019 general elections and which would only recognise the PVCs.
He disclosed that the foundation was established with the sole aim of promoting the spirit of nationalism and patriotism among Nigerians and enhancing the quality of life of ordinary Nigerians through initiatives that promote national development, entrepreneurship and educational opportunities.
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