With less than two months to the general elections the political climate in the country appears to have completely changed from what everyone used to know in times of elections in the country, with the three frontrunners, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples’ Democratic Party trying to woo the electorates in a bid to win their sympathy. Issue at discourse among the citizens for now, is the collection of Permanent Voters Card (PVC), and how the elections would be conducted seamlessly by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The 2023 general elections may be like no other, for the simple reason that Nigerians from all walks of life, and the International Community have shown great interest and have sued for peaceful conduct of the whole process when the time comes. Certainly, the stake of the election has been raised so high such that none of the presidential candidates is sure where the pendulums would swing, at the end. The interest shown by young people who hitherto were apathetic to the country’s democratic process since the restoration of democracy in 1999 has made the process more interesting. Besides, the presidential candidates,18 in all, each boasting to clinch the highest office in the land; with free and fair electioneering process, have also spiced up the whole exercise and made it very interesting, even as Nigerians wait patiently to see who emerges as their president.
The people have been assured continuously by INEC that the election would be driven by technology and therefore warned that the era of doing things inimically to undermine the political process is over. The electoral body therefore urged Nigerians of voting age to participate fully, by registering and making sure their votes count. Although, there have been reported cases of frustrations here and there in obtaining the Permanent Voters Card across the 774 Local Government Areas in the country, but INEC has assured that the commission is on top of the situation. With few days to go before the general elections, the collection of PVCs has intensified across the country. Fortunately, too, INEC has extended the distribution of PVCs to Saturdays and Sundays, especially for those who do not have time during the week to collect theirs, and to also stem the rush at collection centres and Local Government Areas. The sensitization of the voting public for the 2023 general elections is quite high. The massive turn out at the collection centres is unprecedented. What makes the forthcoming general elections unique is the interest Nigerians have shown.
This move no doubt is driven by the fact that many Nigerians are hungry and are not sure where the next meal will come from. The rumours making the rounds that the elections may be cancelled or postponedin the event of security threats, is not tidy and should not be contemplated at all. It is a known fact that the federal government has invested so much and is committed to hold the general elections in February 2023 as it has promised. The plot by some faceless individuals who are bent on derailing or subverting the democratic process for their own selfish interest should be countered on all fronts. The government, as she has always said, should not leave any stone unturned, by making sure that INEC is not cowed or distracted in its constitutional duty of conducting free and fair elections that Nigerians are looking forward to. We enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians of voting age to go and obtain their PVCs and ensure that they vote candidates of their choice. It is a task that all Nigerians of voting age should be part of!