Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has expressed concern over the apathy of voters in the South-East geopolitical zone towards the ongoing continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise.
He also called for electoral reforms that would make the electronic transmission of election results compulsory ahead of the 2027 polls.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) records show that only about 1,988 persons have so far registered in the South-East since the current exercise began on August 18.
Wabara urged South-East political leaders and other stakeholders, including community leaders, to embark on serious sensitization of their constituents on the need to get their voter’s card.
Describing the number of registered voters in the South-East as “very discouraging,” Senator Wabara urged eligible voters in the zone, especially those who just turned 18 years, to acquire their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) to enable them to participate in elections.
He said: “The figures from the South East are not palatable; we can’t afford to miss out.”
Blaming what he called “INEC’s history of lack of transparency in the conduct of elections, especially the 2023 presidential poll,” for the loss of interest and subtle protest by the people, Wabara urged South-East voters to put the past behind them.
“No amount of excuses can justify the consequences of shunning the exercise; we must not play into the hands of our oppressors,” Wabara cautioned.
Arguing that the PVC remains the only legitimate weapon to dismantle bad leadership, the former Senate President urged Nigerians to arm themselves with their PVCs before the expiration of the exercise in August 2026.
Senator Wabara, who is also the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), urged every eligible voter in Nigeria to see the ongoing CVR exercise as “an urgent national duty needed to terminate the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led maladministration in 2027.”
The former Senate President, in a statement issued on Friday, feared that Nigeria might not “survive for too long if the APC continues in power beyond 2027.”
“Nigeria is already on the verge of collapse, and the only opportunity we have to avert this danger is to acquire our PVC ahead of 2027. We must retire the enemies of our democracy.
“I understand that many voters are yet to forgive INEC for the infamous ‘technical glitch’ that marred the 2023 presidential poll, but shunning the CVR exercise will only be in the interest of the same beneficiaries of the charade.
“We can’t cut off our face to spite the nose. 2027 is more than an election; it’s a rescue mission for Nigerian democracy. And every patriotic citizen must be part of this rescue mission irrespective of tribe or faith.”
Restating his earlier calls for electoral reforms, especially the mandatory electronic transmission of election results, the former Senate President urged the National Assembly to “do the needful before 2027.”
He stressed the need to strengthen INEC and other institutions of democracy to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
“Nigeria’s democracy is in the ICU. Electronic transmission of election results in real time has become the inevitable surgical knife to save our democracy. The National Assembly must not fail to rise to the occasion now.”
The former Senate President insisted that votes must be made to count in 2027, warning that “those benefiting from today’s anomalies may be tomorrow’s wailers.”
He encouraged Nigerians not to give up but to keep faith in a better Nigeria that would work for everyone.
