Deputy Whip of the Senate, Sen. Francis Alimikhena, has tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC) to ensure a hitch-free Continuous Voters Registration exercise.
The federal lawmaker also enjoined INEC to make necessary logistics like competent human resource, and sufficient relevant voters registration materials available all through the registration period in order to achieve a hitch free exercise.
He appealed to the electoral body to avoid the usual logistics problem of fuel, lack of ink in the printer, Laptop failure, and other excuses which may frustrate the electorates and also affect the number of voters that would be registered on a daily basis.
The Edo North Senator also charged religious leaders, the traditional institutions as well as opinion leaders to mobilise their subjects to register particularly those who were not captured in the previous exercise.
Sen. Alimikhena, who promised to intensify efforts and deployed local announcer across various communities in his constituency to create awareness, has also task INEC to create maximum awareness and deploy local means beyond television and newspapers which may not be accessible by the target audience.
Alimikhena spoke, in a statement, issued by his Personal Assistant, Benjamin Atu, saying, “The survival of democracy and growth of the nation largely depends on the level of mobilisation and awareness created in order for each individual to be able to express his or herself by voting.
“No doubt your vote is your right but if you do not register, you are not only denying yourself the right to vote but also denying yourself the opportunity to determine the leaders of your choice. Your PVC is your political weapon and whoever sells his PVC has sold his or her birth right.
He maintained that ‘the continuous voter’s registration exercise is a call to duty and it behoves on all of us to answer this clarion call. He commended INEC for their early preparation ahead of the 2019 general election and for the level of flexibility introduced in the registration process.
While assuring Nigerians that their vote will count in all elections, Sen. Alimikhena said the Senate has approved the amendment of the electoral law in order to ensure credibility In the electoral process.
The statement, therefore, called on the Print, Electronic, Social Media, religious organisations, various women and youth groups, traditional institutions, and advocacy group to intensify their campaign for mass mobilization and participation for the exercise.
“People must be educated that the only way to translate their support to vote is by registration.” He however cautioned against double registration which he described as a criminal offence and anyone who is caught in the act will be made to face the wrath of the law,” the statement added.