Magnus Eze and Fred Ezeh
Stakeholders have identified complacency, ignorance and gullibility of the citizenry as the manure that sustains corrupt political leadership in Nigeria.
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, civil society organisations (CSOs) have stepped up mobilisation of the people to participate actively in the electoral process. Unlike before, faith-based organisations, especially churches, are deeply involved in the campaign for their members to not only register to vote, but to also participate in partisan politics by seeking elective positions.
In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), hardly would a week pass without some CSOs staging public campaign nudging residents to get registered and collect their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs).
Recently, popular musician, Charles Oputa, a.k.a Charly Boy, led a Coalition of CSOs known as OurMumuDonDo Movement to LEA Bako Primary School in Kwali Area Council, Abuja, while sensitizing people on the importance of PVC.
The programme which was supported by Christ Embassy Church, Abuja, also featured donation of food items and sanitation materials to the community.
The musician turned activist urged Nigerians, especially women and youths to go out en masse and get their PVCs to enable them vote in candidates and leaders of their choice.
Oputa reminded them that with the 2019 general elections around the corner, politicians would soon be distributing bags of rice and N1,000 to the electorate to seek for their mandates. He urged them not to mortgage their future but rather look at the antecedents of such politicians even before giving them audience.
“It doesn’t make sense that we are led by the very worst of us rather than the very best of us because I know there are well meaning Nigerians, unique Nigerians, outstanding youths that can lead us, and that is why you see me in the sun running around because I believe that salvation of this country rests in the hands of exceptional youths.
“If you are still collecting money to vote, you are real ‘mumu’. It means your ‘mumu’ never do! Why will you collect N1, 000 to vote and you will be suffering for the next four years? Vote for the candidates of your choice. Choose the leaders of your choice. The leaders will allow to be in power are ruling with impunity”, he lamented.
Prior to this period, Oputa had on February 12, led a protest to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the poor handling of the Continuous Voters Registration exercise nationwide.
Oputa, who was received by a senior police officer, Paul Odama and Musa Sekpe, Assistant Director, Security Directorate of INEC, said “After going through INEC’s PVC stress, we are not prepared to let some people who think they are Lords and masters of our country to be dictating to people who our leaders will be or be selecting our leaders for us. We will not allow that happen in 2019.”
He wondered what ordinary Nigerians would be going through to get the PVCs, if he had not been able to get replacement for his missing PVC after several failed attempts.
In a letter to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, titled “Request for strategic engagement with INEC on the electoral process,” the group regretted that despite nation’s huge population, millions of Nigerians were yet to trust and participate in the processes of voting and electing visionary leaders to positions of power.
Other groups like the ‘Not Too Young to Run’ have also led advocacy campaigns on PVCs to parts of the FCT. They believe that it would be meaningless if the bill eventually sails through and the youths lacked the weapon to influence the electoral decisions.
To the Christian community, the situation at hand has gone beyond fasting and prayer. While prayer and fasting are good, but President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Dr. Felix Omobude, said “INEC will neither count prayer nor fasting on election’s day. All they will count is votes cast and whoever gets the highest vote emerges winner irrespective of religion, political and ethnic background.”
Therefore, many churches have made registration and collection of PVCs a regular announcement during their programmes. A popular Abuja cleric and General Overseer, Restoration Life Assembly, Rev. Udochi Odikanwa, said the church was left with the only option of championing the campaign for participation of everybody in political activities in Nigeria.
“Christians hitherto, regarded politics and political leadership as a dirty game that should be left for sinners, but the negative effects have forced people to change their mind and take interest in political process.
“I have taken it upon myself to remind people on Sundays and other inter-denominational services to get registered and collect their PVC so that they could be eligible to vote during elections,” he stated.
To show the seriousness attached to the issue, Daily Sun gathered that Odikanwa recently displayed his PVC in one of the church services; an action he said “encouraged members to disregard or endure all the challenges to get their PVC. That is the only way we could participate in choosing our political leaders.”
Waking up from deep slumber
General Secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Musa Asake and PFN President Omobude dismissed the allegation that the church was just waking up from its slumber in participating in the electoral processes.
Asake said “The campaign was not new. We have been doing that in the past years just that we became more serious this time. We have realized that our members always sit at home during election periods and lament of the shortcomings of the government officials even when they did not participate in the process. This time, we have taken up the campaign for people to register and get PVCs and use them wisely when the time comes.”
On his part, Chairman, Youth Wing of CAN (YOWICAN), Apostle Nyeneme Andy, said ranting on the social media will not change anything, noting that their door-to-door campaign which began in Akwa Ibom state to sensitize the youths on the need to participate in political activities will soon be replicated in the FCT and other parts of the country.
Nonetheless, CAN’s scribe, expressed disappointment that their complaints to INEC about difficulties in getting the PVC were not attended to, but maintained that it would not discourage them from carrying on with the campaign.