It's election season. With less than a year to the 2023 General elections, beautiful things, it seems are happening. The politically inactive South seems to be waking up from a very deep slumber. I wouldn't like to attribute this to anyone or anything in particular. Just the fact that there's an increase in awareness and interest of the people is a joyous development.
In the not so distant past, we had people who would see you as a fool for vying for political positions if they deemed you not "strong enough" as politics has always been seen as a dirty game, only for those with strong hearts and machismo. People used to be mocked for being a part of the electoral process. Their usual argument being, "Our votes don't count", so why waste precious time and resources that could be diverted somewhere else for better productivity and result.
Presently, the reverse seems to be the case. If feels like a wake up call was sounded, like there's this alarm which just buzzed and reminded everyone who they are and what they need to do. People are now encouraging themselves to register for their PVCs and exercise their franchise. More people are beginning to register in political parties and vye for elective positions. It seems there's a paradigm shift in the thought process of these people. It seems the wind of change has blown enough air into the sails of the peoples' ship has picked up speed. There's this unexplainable gusto about 2023 and the Electoral process. It feels like real change cannot wait any longer. Could this be providence or mere coincidence .
INEC recently declared that there's been over 10 million new registrations and majority of them, from the South. More people are even lining up at INEC offices daily across the southern states to either register or sort out issues related to the election process. Interesting stats. The people are beginning to want to do their bit but is INEC ready to do its bit? It would seem so but it's bit goes beyond registering the people for their Voter's card and conducting elections. What processes have been set up to get these PVCs to their owners when ready?
I, my friends and a whole lot of other students registered for our Voter's card in 2010 while we were still undergraduates. We were so enthused about the forthcoming 2011 general elections because Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the Vice President at the time who was from our state was contesting for the presidency. Most of us had just attained the age of majority so were so excited about exercising these newly bestowed rights.
While we got our temporary voter's card immediately after the registrations, as is the norm, it was quiet for a while. There was no word from INEC or anyone as to when we'd receive our PVCs. It seemed like forever and most of us took out minds off it. Then one evening, just as the harsh afternoon sun was retiring, news began to trickle in that the PVCs were ready. All our PVCs were in the possession of some unidentified persons who were distributing them at certain points across the small town.
Some people were lucky enough to get theirs, others not so lucky as the ran to every point they had heard the distribution was going on, yet they couldn't find theirs. I even heard that at some of the distribution points, boxes of PVCs were thrown in the floor and scattered all over when the distributors became hard pressed. Those who could find theirs picked it and went away while the larger number of PVCs without owners were abandoned. Some people picked up the cards of their friends and those of others who they were able to recognise. Many others like me, didn't even hear about the distribution until a few days later. How would we get our PVCs following the melee of a few days back, the distributors largely unidentified? The whole process was just so disorganised and aim of even registering for the PVC in the first place, partly defeated as huge number of people disenfranchised by this callousness. If I can't get my PVC, why register in the first place. I was lucky to find mine about 2 weeks later when a junior colleague saw me on the road and informed me that he was in possession of my PVC.
A few days ago, I spoke to a friend who also registered in 2011 while we were still undergraduates. She never got her PVC. She decided to go apply for a reprint and transfer of Polling unit. It's been months now, she still hasn't got her PVC. It's been from one office to the other and at the end of the day, it's either gone missing midway or hasn't been printed at all. It's been over 10 years and till date, you still get complains of people never getting their PVCs after they registered. Since then, I have thought about how easy it is to get these PVCs get to their owners and not go missing midway or whether it's a deliberate act to disenfranchise the large demography of Voter's or would be voters. I think it's quite easy to achieve if we compare it the banking system of ATM cards' distribution. Create collection points at designated areas, likely polling units, open a register where people can sign to confirm collection and make sure that a card cannot be picked up by proxy.
What is INEC's solution to this problem? Or 12 years down the line, are we still going to go the same route of missing PVCs which never reach their owners?
INEC'S Subtle Responsibility
By
Tari Ogbowei