Respondents Blame Aparthy For Low Turnout In Voters Registration In Southeast
By Austin Echefu
The embarrassing low turn of the people of the Southeast during voters registration exercise in the country has become a source of serious concern among the people of the Southeast as it places them among the minorities in the country.
247ureports in Owerri spoke to some people on the matter, including the State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Allaince (APGA), Dr George Nkwoji, who said that part of the reason for the low turn out during voters registration is aparthy, due to the egalitarian nature of the people.
He said: “Owing to our egalitarian life style, an average Igbo doesn’t care much about who rules him or her. That is the reason there’s high aparthy to voter registration and voting”.
He warned that “As long as this attitude continues, the South East will continue to register low voter population”.
According to him, “The solution lies in discovering the power inherent in voters cards and in voting. We must recognise that our aparthy to politics is very detrimental to our wellness. It maginalizes us to the status of a minority people.
“For example, have we not presented ourselves as a minority, going by INEC register of voters which places the entire South East to just 8 million voters?”
Another respondent, Comrade GOC Nwadike, a social/political activist, said that several reasons account for the low turn out of the people of the Southeast during voters registration.
He said: “Yes, all can be said to be reasons, but major is voter apathy. The average Igboman does not like wasting his time on something he considers time wasting. Since votes do often not count, politicians rig and INEC gives out varying result different from what the electorates gave, and authorities use the police, army and other security agencies that ordinarily should protect citizens to intimidate them, the people simply maintain indifference to election projects since they believe that government will always have their ways, not what the people want.
“Take the case of what is happening today in Imo. The government believes in lording over the people instead of serving the people. So you have a situation where people simply run away from voting. They have lost confidence in the system and as far as they are concerned, government at each election already has somebody in mind, and it’s often the highest bidder.
“So until situations like this are reversed, voter apathy will continue to remain among our people of the Southeast”.
Also, Hon Onuora Olumba a former member of the Imo State House of Assembly and member of the PDP, believes that “Aparthy is one” of the reasons for the low turnout in voters registration in the region.
He said: “Votes don’t count. Our people believe that results are written. Yes, I can agree with them that results can only be written with the present card reader if we allow it by not going to vote.”
He explained that “Results are written within the margin of registered voters. If every registered voter votes, there won’t be any space for manipulation. If the number of registered voter in a booth is 200 and 200 people come out to vote, your guess is as good as mine.
“Aparthy is one of the reasons Mrs Clinton lost. You believe that your one vote will not make a difference but it does. State assembly election in Virginia USA was decided by one vote. Our people should endeavor to go out there and sacrifice their time and vote and make sure that the votes count”.
