A non-profit group, the Adekunle Osibogun Foundation (AOF) has commenced a sensitization campaign across the nook and crannies of Ogun State on the needs for the residents of the state to register and collect their Permanent Voters Card to eliminate political apathy and encourage political participation amongst the citizenry in the upcoming 2019 General Elections.
In a statement signed by its Founder, Adekunle Osibogun, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent in Abeokuta on Monday, the Foundation said the essence of the sensitisation campaign is to engage the citizens of Ogun State on the need to be more active in the electoral processes because based on the recent state-by-state breakdown of the number of registered voters and their PVC collection rate, only a total of 1,125,657 out of the over 1,829,534 registered voters of a voting population of 3,728,098 had collected their Permanent Voters Card.
The Foundation also said that a review of the Independent National Electoral Commission statistics of PVCs’ collected in Ogun State before the March 28, 2015 General Election and the recent statistics released showed there was still a large number of uncollected PVC in the State while the number of newly registered voters was not a true reflection of the voting population of Ogun State.
Osibogun said investigation conducted by his foundation revealed that despite the improved efforts by INEC to ensure more voters are registered before the 2019 General Elections, there was a need to improve the reproduction rate of lost PVCs and also simplify the process of transferring PVCs of Ogun State residents who had earlier registered in other states.
He said further that the self-imposed political apathy embraced by youths in the State will not solve our national challenges or improve governance in the State, rather it will continue to stunt the development in Ogun State compared to its neighbouring Lagos State.
Osibogun, a legal practitioner by profession asserted that a survey conducted by his foundation corroborated earlier claims that the numbers of citizens in Ogun State above the age of 18 that do not have PVC are more than those who have registered and collected their PVCs, stressing that this may disenfranchise majority of the citizens in the State in light of the new e-voting card readers intended to be used for the 2019 General Elections, which will only recognise the PVCs.
On the objective(s) of the foundation, Osibogun, a native of Ijebu Ode said he established Foundation with sole aim of promoting the spirit of nationalism and patriotism amongst Nigerians and enhancing the quality of life of ordinary Nigerians through initiatives that promote national development, entrepreneurship and educational opportunities.
The British trained International Trade and Investment Lawyer and Human Rights Activist added that the foundation, with the support another non-profit group conveyed by him, the Young Progressive Nigerians Initiative (YPNI), has trained over 2, 000 youths in Ogun State alone on several entrepreneurial skills such as Beads and Craft making, Web Design, Photography, Event and Catering Services, Interior Decoration, Beauty Therapy, Fashion Design etc.
He urged Nigerians to join the campaign for PVC collection nationwide and support the ongoing INEC initiatives towards successful elections in 2019.
