Some elected office holders in Badagry have begun mobilising residents in the area to collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) in order to vote during the general elections.
The elected office holders including Chairmen of Badagry Local Government, Badagry West Local Council Development Authority and the lawmaker representing Badagry Constituency 2, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry that sensitisation of the residents had started in earnest.
The Chairman, Badagry Local Government, Mr Olusegun Onilude, said that an emergency meeting of the council was recently held to strategise on how to mobilise the electorate to massively turnout to vote during the general election.
“Our party executive council and leaders in different communities will be mobilised to do more sensitisation by going from house to house.
“The council will also provide vehicles to convey people to their different wards to collect their PVCs and return them to their different communities.
“We also intend to give workers few hours off work to enable them collect their PVCs,” he said.
Also, the lawmaker representing Badagry Constituency 2 in Lagos House of Assembly (LAHA), Mr Setonji David, said that mobilisation of the residents had started in earnest by encouraging them to collect their PVCs.
“We are trying our best to encourage the people and the various communities to take advantage of the presence of INEC officials at the Ward levels. I believe the people are responding positively in Badagry.
“The best scenario would have been total decentralisation of the collection of PVCs from the wards to the voting units which are nearer to the people.
“Meanwhile, we are seeing improvements in the numbers but it can be better,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, Mr Joseph Gbenu, the Chairman, Badagry-West Local Council Development Area (LCDA), said that he had been making frantic efforts towards ensuring that people in the area get their PVCs.
According to him, the All Progressives Congress (APC) youth wing in the area had been conscripted to assist in the sensitisation of the eligible voters to collect their PVCs and turnout to vote on election days.
Mr Bamidele Ibrahim, the Assistant Secretary, Community Development Committee (CDC), Badagry Zone, said the people were responding but not as expected.
“Personally, we have been passing the information through social media and private chat all over Badagry.
“But, one of the challenges is transport to venues, means of transportation is zero and nobody is doing anything about it
“Even, our people have lost interest in voting but we are trying our best to educate them on need to collect their PVCs and exercise their franchise during coming general elections,” he said.
The NAN reports that INEC had on Friday, Jan.6, distributed PVCs across the 11 wards in Badagry LGA to enable residents get them at their doorsteps.
NAN correspondent who monitored the exercise in Badagry reports that the exercise has recorded low turnout of people except in Ward 8 in Oko-Afo which recorded impressive turnout.
Credit: NAN News