Lagos Speaker, INEC Lament Poor PVC Collection, Voter Apathy

 







Ahead of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has appealed to qualified residents of the State not to only register, but ensure that they vote.


Dr. Obasa gave this advice on Thursday at the 8th Annual Constituency Stakeholders' Meeting held simultaneously by lawmakers across the State.


This was as Mr. Felix Daramola, head of electoral operations at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), lamented what he described as very poor outings by voters in the State during elections.


Addressing stakeholders in his Agege Constituency 1, Speaker Obasa noted that the theme of the stakeholders' meeting, '2023 General Elections: The Imperatives of Permanent Voters' Cards', was very apt as the nation matches towards the elections.


Commending the constituents for

being responsive to matters affecting their

communities and the State at all times, the Speaker lamented: "It is, however, quite worrisome that over 20 million Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) still remain uncollected across the nation according to a recent INEC report and out of this huge figure, one million are from Lagos State.


"This situation does not augur well for our progress, our democracy and the development of the State as it may create an opportunity for incompetent persons to be elected as our leaders and representatives and thus overturn our achievements.


"As you know, Lagos State has been so blessed

with great and visionary leaders and

representatives right from the Second Republic in 1979 when Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande came on board as the first civilian governor, supported by a vibrant House of Assembly, and most significantly from 1999 in the Fourth Republic with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu not just emerging as the governor of Lagos State but revered as the architect of modern day Lagos. 


"All these were made possible due to citizens actively voting at elections to choose the right candidates.


"Consequently, the Lagos State House of

Assembly under the able leadership of Rt. Hon.

(Dr.) Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa wish to reiterate

the need for everyone to obtain his or her

PVC in order to vote in the coming general election. Your PVC is your power not just to continue building the State but the nation as well; it is your power for continuity, it is your power for the stability and sustainability of our enduring and cherished democracy, it is

your power to secure a bright and promising

future for our children, our State and the nation," Obasa said.


Emphasising the need for mass participation in the elections, Daramola said Lagos now has 13,325 polling units. Of this figure, he said Agege now has 696 polling units, thus bringing voting centres closer to the electorate.


He also said with the introduction of BIVAS, it had become very difficult to rig elections since it allows for election results to be transferred electronically.


Warning against multiple voting, Daramola noted that in Lagos State, "a total of 640, 774 eligible voters had done online registration before it ended on May 30, 2022. But as at Monday, June 27, only 371, 760 had completed their online registration."


Analysing online voter registration across states, he lamented: "Osun State has 708,968, Delta State, 641,174 while Lagos has 640,774. This is not acceptable with the population and megacity status of Lagos State.


"For completed registration, Delta leads again with 396, 900. This is followed by Kano with 380,582. Bayelsa with few local governments has 379,538. Rivers has 372,406. Lagos is in the fifth place with 371,760."


"You can see that we all have a lot of job to do to make sure our people get registered."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

More Than 2,500 Resdent Benefit From Ounje Onigbongbo Food Initiative**

Image
 ** The Executive Chairman of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Oladotun Olakanle, recently organised the "Ounje Onigbogbo Food Initiative," aimed at providing support to the residents of the Onigbogbo LCDA. During his address at the event, Hon. Oladotun Olakanle noted that this was the fifth edition of the initiative. He remarked, "We are doing this to empower our people in these challenging economic times. This situation is not exclusive to Nigeria; it is a global issue. At the grassroots level, we are contributing our efforts to assist both the federal and state governments in ensuring the well-being of our people." Hon. Olakanle also highlighted the growing number of beneficiaries, stating, "This time, we have a much larger turnout than in previous editions. Initially, we had planned for 1,500 people, but now we have approximately 2,500 in attendance. I assure you that every individual present will be attended to."  He further ment
Read more

LASTMA Strengthens Traffic Management Plan Ahead of Ember Months

Image
  The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has intensified its preparations for the Ember months, implementing a robust traffic management strategy to ensure smooth vehicular movement and public safety during the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations. During a strategic meeting held at LASTMA Headquarters, Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa, called on LASTMA officers to adopt proactive measures in anticipation of the increased traffic volume and illegal roadside trading typically associated with the festive season. These challenges, he warned, could disrupt the flow of both traffic and pedestrians across Lagos. Hon. Giwa emphasized the need for a coordinated response from LASTMA personnel, stating, "Our foremost priority is ensuring the safety and convenience of all road users in Lagos. LASTMA officers must remain ever watchful and decisive in addressing illegal roadside trading and other activities that could compromise traffic f
Read more

In it's attempt to get justice, convicted businessman, Abiodun Bolarinwa, has approached an appellate court to upturn his conviction.

  Bolarinwa in a five grounds appeal, urged the court to help determine if the lower court accord him fair hearing. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, following the conviction of Abiodun by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of a Lagos Special Offences Court, sitting took possession of a property on 1A, Joke Ayo Street, Riverside Estate, Alagbado, Lagos. The anti graft agency also take possession of other assets in the property, including a Range Rover Sport Utility Vehicle, SUV, a black BMW car, a black Toyota Land cruiser car, and a white Toyota Hilux and handed the same property over to the victim, Mr. Bamidele Safiriyu Olusegun. Justice Taiwo had on July 8 2022 convicted and sentenced Abiodun to seven years imprisonment and ordered him to forfeit all the proceeds of the crime. Reacting to the taken of possession without due procedure, Mrs  Adetona Funke Adebowale, an octogenarian and mother of Bolarinwa, accused the EFCC, of forcefully taken possession of her family house jo
Read more