Unless urgent steps are taken by the federal government, over 11 million voters may be disenfranchised in the 2023 general elections due to the worsening security situation in the South East region.
Data from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that the South East has 10.9 million registered voters while 930,000 PVCs are ready for collection by new registrants.
This new set of voters was unable to come out on Monday for the second phase distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by INEC due to the sit-at-home order imposed on the residents by the separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
INEC could not commence the exercise yesterday in Anambra State as a result of fears by its personnel as well as the registered voters of possible attack by hoodlums enforcing the sit-at-home being observed in the entire South East region every Monday.
Though the Nnamdi Kanu-led IPOB, which earlier ordered the every Monday sit-at-home as part of the group’s strategies to persuade the federal government to free their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is in incarceration in Kuje prison from where he has been standing trial in court on charges bordering on treason, had following wide condemnation of the order by the people, because of its severe effects on the economy and wellbeing of the people in the region, cancelled the order, hoodlums had since then been enforcing the sit-at-home, attacking and killing people for coming out on Mondays.
Findings by LEADERSHIP revealed that the PVCs distribution could not commence at the 21 local governments across the state as both INEC personnel and registered voters stayed away from the Commission’s local government offices where the PVCs distribution were designated to take place because of fear of possible attack by hoodlums.
Some registered voters who were contacted said that they would prefer to go for the collection of their PVCs any other day, not on Mondays.
“I will go to check for my PVC as from tomorrow (today), but not on Mondays because I don’t want to be attacked by those unknown gunmen who are enforcing sit-at-home”, a registered voter who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity said.
When contacted, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in charge of Anambra State, Mrs Queen Elizabeth Agwu, told LEADERSHIP in a telephone interview that though she deployed personnel from her office to commence the PVCs distribution, she, however, could not go round to monitoring the distribution because of fear of possible attack by hoodlums enforcing the sit-at-home.
“I called some of my personnel at the local governments and they told me that they are at their local governments for the commencement of PVCs distribution, but I couldn’t go out to supervise them because of possible attack by those enforcing sit-at-home.
“As a policy I don’t just deploy my personnel to distribute the PVCs, I also go round myself to monitor to make sure that the distribution is going on, and to entertain and address any problem that may arise, but as you can see, because of the peculiar situation in the state, I mean the sit-at-home being enforced here every Monday, I couldn’t go out.”
The state INEC boss, however, promised that she would go round the state to supervise the PVCs distribution every day, except on Mondays.
Some of the people who spoke to our correspondent said they were afraid to come out of their houses because of the shootings by enforcers of the order in some parts of Enugu last Saturday.
A resident of Kenyatta Street, Obinna Ogbonna , said he managed to go to INEC office in the morning hours but did not see anybody to attend to him.
Other residents who spoke to our correspondent said they may not even go to INEC office until the expiration of the five days Sit-At-Home.
A member of Voice of the Oppressed, an NGO based in Enugu, Nwabueze Anoyua urged the security operatives to provide security for people to participate in the exercise.
The nationwide takeoff collection of PVCs in Imo State is similarly confronted with challenges such as insecurity and low turn up of the citizenry.
The apprehension among the populace and the INEC officials affected the exercise tremendously as the populace exhibited reluctance in coming out for the exercise.
The people were seen in trickles queuing up for the exercise in the INEC centre visited and few officials were seen attending to them.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP, Ikenna Uzondu expressed astonishment at the level of desperation on the part of non-state actors to derail the system.
According to him, it takes courage to appear for the collection exercise, going by the level of insecurity prevalent in the state. He called on the state and federal government to take proactive steps and fish out perpetrators of the crime.
In his contribution, the director of development dynamics, Dr. Jude Ohanele urged the federal government to beef up security across INEC offices nationwide.
He urged the state government to set up local vigilante outfits in the local government areas.
Dr. Ohanele called on the state government and security agents to embark on massive intelligence gathering and urgent sensitization and enlightenment aimed at identifying the culprits of heinous crimes in the society.
He urged the government to find a way of restoring the confidence of the people in the system, so as to enable them to respond positively to the collection of the PVCs exercise.
Ensure Voters Get Their PVCs, Obi Urges Security Agencies
The Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party (LP) has urged the security agencies to ensure that Nigerians are not disenfranchised as a result of insecurity.
According to Obi, security agencies must do their work to enable Nigerians to collect their PVCs.
LEADERSHIP reports that as INEC rolls out the PVC collection, several people especially in the South East shunned the collection centres as a result of insecurity.
Gunmen in the South East have destroyed several INEC offices, which has made several people stay away from their offices, especially on Mondays as a result of the sit-at-home order.
But speaking to LEADERSHIP last night, the spokesman of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, who is also a former national chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC), the umbrella body of all political parties in the country, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said it is unacceptable for Nigerians to be disenfranchised as a result of insecurity.
“It is very important that we call on the security agencies to protect lives and properties as enshrined in the constitution. Security agencies must provide security for everybody to go out and collect their PVCs. Citizens should also come out and perform their rights. We’ve seen attacks on INEC offices. Citizens must come out and demand for their rights,” Tanko said.
“As much as we are calling on our members to be Obedient, they must take their security and safety seriously and demand their rights. Nigerians must insist on security because it will affect their franchise and every aspect of life.
“So, we are calling on the nation’s security agencies to ensure that Nigerians are not prevented from performing their rights,” Tanko added.
Originally published in Leadership