Federal Government has beckoned on Nigerian women across the country to take full advantage of the ongoing continuous voter registration being conducted by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mary Ekpere-Eta, Director-General of National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) gave the charge in Abuja, expressed support for the repeated call for Nigeria’s restructuring.
She noted that obtaining the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) is the first step to vote politicians who will respond to the yearnings of the electorates.
Ekpere-Eta equally beckoned on girls who turn 18 years this year and other women who are qualified to vote, to make out time to register at INEC’s designated centres without further delay.
She maintained that women can only speak on developmental challenges that affect their communities, such as corruption, unemployment and poverty, by getting PVCs to vote those who can address these issues into office in 2019.
The NCWD Director-General, further urged that women, especially those in the rural areas and the working class in urban centres to obtain their Permanent Voter’s Card.
Ekpere-Eta who commended Electoral Commission for sustaining the voter registration campaign, however urged the commission to remove all forms of bottlenecks in the registration process and major concerns raised by the electorates.
“From data obtained by NCWD, there has been a large turn out of women at registration centres. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement in terms of the number of those who complete the process and obtain their PVCs.
“This appeal that women go out to get their names into the voters register is very important, judging by the fact that we women constitute about 50 percent of the country’s population and we have to invest in the future of our children by voting for preferred candidates for different positions at all levels of government.
“Women should always remember that they can only place the right individuals in office using their PVCs,” the statement read.
Ekpere-Eta, further explained to intending female voters, that they have up to November to register to vote.
She cited Section 9(5) of the Electoral Act (as amended), provides that the continuous voter registration exercise must be temporarily suspended, 60 days to the commencement of the next general elections scheduled for February 2019.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
