by crossriverwatch admin
As the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC gears up to commence nationwide registration of voters preparatory for the 2015 general election, a political group routing for the governorship ambition of the Group General Manager, GGM, Crude Oil Marketing Department of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Goddy Jedy Agba, has called on Cross Riverians to come out en masse to register and get their voters card.
The group, Jedy Solidarity Movement, JSM in a statement on Monday, signed by the Coordinator, Mr. Utsu Atsu and obtained by CrossRiverWatch said the call has become pertinent taking into cognizance the hundreds of thousands of teenagers who just turned 18years only after the last registration exercise.
The group expressed worry about the position of state as one of those with the lowest number of registered voters and called on all Cross Riverians who have turned 18years to seize this opportunity to change that status and consequently change the state’s political fortunes both within the ruling party and Nigeria in general.
Part of the statement reads: “The Resident Independent Commissioner of our state has informed Nigerians that INEC will soon commence nationwide registration of voters for the 2015 general election. The timetable for the election has also been laid out. We are calling on all eligible Cross Riverians who have turned 18years of age to please come out en masse when the exercise begins and register.
“That is one of the most effective ways to bring the change we seek. If we are ever going to be able to change anything democratically, it is through our votes and the votes are beginning to count. It is only a registered voter that has political value.
“Cross River state is painfully regarded as one of those with the lowest number of voters. This has affected our fortunes both within the ruling party and Nigeria as a whole. Just before the 2013 election, after the raw data of 1.7million votes that were collected from the 18 local governments were subjected to the mandated system of aggregation and verification known as Automatic Finger Identification System (AFIS), the figure reduced to only I million valid votes. We can change this status and the fortunes of our state if we turn out in our numbers and register to vote.”
“Our dream of making one of Cross River’s finest sons, Jedy Agba the governor of our state will also be elusive if we don’t pick up our cards on time to vote at the election. Our vote will be our power and it is only the voters’ card that qualifies you to vote. So tell someone to tell another person that when the exercise commence, we must all go and get our voters card”. The statement concluded.
INEC had announced after a retreat in Kaduna that they will soon begin a nationwide registration of voters who will get a permanent voters card in preparation for the general election in 2015.
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