…Target 4 million before 2027
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Political pressure group known as the Obidients Movement has launched aggressive sensitisation of voters in Abia State, with a vow to increase the population of registered voters in the state to 4 million.
Abia, according to statistics from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had 2,120,808 registered voters in 2023.
The Obidients Movement, which addressed a press conference on Monday in Umuahia, said the sensitisation was part of the anti-electoral fraud campaign known as GO MERD – Get Organised and Make Election Rigging Difficult (GO MERD), which was launched recently by the national leadership of the movement.
The group vowed not to stay aloof while politicians ruin the destiny of Nigerians due to voter apathy.
It explained that the movement, which cuts across several political parties, was not about individuals but a mass movement by progressive Nigerians to rescue the country from selfish politicians.
Reading from a prepared text, one of the leaders of the Movement in Abia, Comrade Chukwuebuka Ezenna, regretted that lack of interest in the electoral process by the youths had given selfish commercial politicians the opportunity to hijack power at the expense of the masses.
According to the movement, the refusal of eligible voters to register for PVCs “simply means endorsement of the ongoing rape of our democracy by a few political hijackers.”
Ezenna, who was flanked by other leaders of the movement including Dr. Chibuzor Obiesili and Elder Bethel Nwokoma, among others, said, “The future of Nigeria lies in the hands of registered voters.”
The text read in part: “The success of this campaign lies in the ability of eligible voters to get their PVCs. So, we urge all Abians from 18 years and above to go out, register, collect their PVC, and hold it firmly as a bridge to a new Nigeria.
“INEC statistics indicate that Abia recorded a total of 2,120,808 registered PVCs as at 2023, with 1,949,197, representing 91.9%, as those who collected their PVC. With the continuous rise in population growth, it is, therefore, our target to mobilise over 4 million voters in Abia to get their PVC before 2027.”
The Obidients Movement said it was driven by “passion for good governance and firm belief that a new Nigeria is possible,” adding that it would no longer watch helplessly while a few political merchants ruin the future of the country.
The text further read: “It’s no longer in doubt but a stark reality that our democracy is at stake, and we cannot afford to watch helplessly and do nothing. Now is the time to take action. We all must rise in unity and rescue Nigeria from political hijackers who see the country as their personal estate.
“We must support INEC to make voter registration successful in Abia. It’s on the strength of this that we urge all eligible voters to take advantage of this window of opportunity and get their PVC.”
According to the Obidients Movement, the PVC remains the bridge to a new Nigeria and the only weapon to end bad governance.
“Your PVC remains your only weapon for participation in the battle for the rescue of our democracy. Your refusal to get your PVC simply means an endorsement of the ongoing abuse and rape of our democracy by a few political hijackers.
“You cannot afford to stand aloof and do nothing while the country is on the verge of collapse. Go get your PVC now to save Nigeria from the precipice.”
Stressing an earlier appeal by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Mr. Peter Obi, for all eligible voters to get their PVCs ahead of 2027, the group said the sensitisation for PVC registration “is aimed at making Nigeria work for all.”
“We are here to amplify the message of our Principal, Mr. Peter Obi, a man who believes in resetting the country and making it work for all. This message is that a New Nigeria Is Possible!
“This dream will remain a mirage without your PVC. Like Peter Obi had earlier noted, the PVC is the weapon of the poor against injustice and bad governance. PVC is the password for participation in the battle to stop political wolves holding Nigeria to her jugular. Yes, your PVC is the Bridge to a New Nigeria.
“We, therefore, plead with every eligible voter in Abia to heed this call for action. The future of our dear state and nation is entrusted in your hands.
“The greatest strength of democracy is in the voter’s card. Your PVC is the voice of the voiceless, the shield of the weak, and the weapon of the poor for a better life.”
The Obidient Movement also urged voters in the state to shun vote buying as doing so amounts to mortgaging the future of their children to political merchants.
“Voters should not only reject but resist vote buying. Vote buyers are wicked exchangers of destiny. They are political merchants who use stolen funds to buy their way into our common treasury to loot public funds.”
Citing Obi, the group said: “Those who buy votes are not offering you charity; they only invest in their own corruption. They buy votes so that they can buy their way into our treasury to steal public money.
“When they get into that office, they will loot the funds that should have been used to build schools, hospitals, or provide good jobs. Such people are not leaders, they are criminals in disguise. They are no better than killers, armed robbers, and kidnappers, because they commit the same crime of destruction.”
Continuing, the group said: “Our message to vote sellers is: You are not just selling an election, you are selling the very opportunities that would have lifted you and your family out of poverty. You are selling the schools that your children should have attended, the hospitals that should save your loved ones, and the jobs that would have given you dignity and a better life. Those who buy your vote are only buying it to make a profit from the seat of power, not to serve you.”
The group expressed hope that votes would count in 2027, vowing to vigorously resist any attempt to manipulate the outcome of the polls.
“That votes did not count in the past does not mean they won’t count in the future. That mandates were stolen before does not mean we will succumb. Nobody should be discouraged.
“Our oppressors are already jittery because of the coming wave. They know that our liberation is inevitable. We must get organised ahead of 2027 and resist any attempt to alter the people’s will. Your PVC is your only weapon. You must get and safeguard it.”
The movement said that massive participation of voters and their determination to defend their votes would end bad governance in 2027.
“2027 is another opportunity to birth a new Nigeria of our dreams, and our PVC remains our only weapon to make this happen. Every eligible voter must get on board irrespective of tribe or religion.”
It urged Nigerians to unite against political merchants who had continued to exploit the fault lines of religion and ethnicity to divide the masses and perpetuate themselves in power.
“The ongoing starvation and hardship in the land do not discriminate, so we must no longer allow political opportunists to divide us along unnecessary fault lines of religion and tribe. We must rise in stiff resistance and chase them away by getting our PVC so we can rescue our country and safeguard the future of our children.
“A New Nigeria is possible if we all unite and do the needful to stop the mass exodus of our best brains, some of whom end up doing all manner of menial jobs and squatting like slaves in foreign lands just to eke out a living. Time to end bad governance has come, and 2027 is another opportunity. But we must be armed with our PVC!
The group enjoined traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other stakeholders to join in the sensitisation campaign for PVC registration.
“We must all rise to take action. Those holding us down are very few, and we must overpower them with the aid of our PVC. Get it and use it right! Now is the time; don’t wait till tomorrow!”
The Obidients urged the youths to stop lamenting and join in the efforts to reset the country for the good of all.
“The time has come for Nigerian youths to rise beyond tribalism, religion, and selfish interests. The time has come to prove that we are not lazy, we are not foolish, and that we will not hand over our future to those who have destroyed our past.”
