A cross-section of residents in the Southeast have voiced mixed reasons for shunning the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, ranging from distrust in the electoral system to logistical and personal challenges.
“People’s votes no longer count” – Ex-administrator
Chief Charles Okwor, a community leader and former administrator of Isi-Uzo Development Centre in Enugu State, said apathy is fueled by disenchantment. “The reason people are not turning out for the continuous voter registration is because they are disenchanted. When people’s votes don’t count, how do you expect them to register again? At the end of the day, those they did not vote for are announced as winners, and this discourages participation,” he lamented.
“I don’t believe my vote matters” – School leaver
In Owerri, Imo State, a school leaver, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, said he has lost faith in elections. “I don’t want to waste my time to queue and vote, only for the authorities to announce what they like. People suffered in 2023 but were disappointed. I am not voting because they already know who will win,” he said.
“I’m not aware registration is on” – Driver
Commercial bus driver, Mr. Peter Amadi, admitted ignorance of the exercise. He said he would have asked his daughter, who just turned 18, to register had he known it was ongoing. Three of his four children already have Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs).
Obingwa residents demand ward-level centres
In Abia State, residents of Agalaba Ward in Obingwa Local Government Area appealed to INEC to create ward-level registration centres. They complained that the LGA headquarters in Mgboko was too far and transportation costs as high as ₦5,000 made it difficult to register.
“My job doesn’t give me time” – Abia voter
Some Abia residents cited busy work schedules as their constraint. A government driver in Umuahia explained that his job keeps him from finding time to register, though he pledged to do so before October ends.
“Voting power can guarantee Igbo presidency” – Prof. Oji
Prof. Okey Oji of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology urged residents to embrace voter registration, saying strong participation is key to producing a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction. While admitting that distrust lingers, he called for enlightenment campaigns by INEC, governors, and community leaders.
“Politics is disillusioning” – Resident
In Enugu, Emmanuel Ekwa said Nigerians are losing interest in politics and CVR due to disillusionment. He urged the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to allow electronic transmission of results to restore credibility.
“We no longer have confidence in INEC” – Ebonyi residents
Some residents of Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, said they had no faith in election outcomes. “There is no need stressing to get a voter card when, after voting, a different result is announced,” said Mrs. Anene Uduma.
Poor turnout in Anambra bye-election registration
In Anambra, the recent voter registration exercise ahead of the South Senatorial Zone bye-election recorded 168,187 registrants, with women accounting for 58%. Analysts, however, described the figure as poor compared to other regions, attributing the apathy to past election disappointments.
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