Katsina State, the fifth most populous state in Nigeria, is now in the 32nd position in the number people who registered with INEC as voters. The situation is not only depressing and embarrassing but is an indictment on the election stakeholders in the state who failed to mobilise the people to get registered.
Katsina is among the states that have the highest fertility rate, yet,we are unable to leverage it to become first in terms of registered voters. Unless we change the narrative, our most embarrassing moment is approaching.
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We are not talking of those who may manage to register but will not bother to collect their PVC or those who may be forced to collect their PVCs only to take sleeping pills on election day. What we are struggling to do is to convince our people to go and register and it is becoming a herculean exercise.
The consequences are enormous. All of us will pay the penalty of voter apathy. Finally, we will allow insignificant percentage of fools to vote our leaders and then condemn the leaders.
If truly we are proud of our population, then let all of us get registered, and vote on election day.
Each of us should be a mobiliser. Make sure from now on you can motivate at least 10 persons to register.
INEC should partner with CSOs, particularly youth and gender focussed ones, to develop an action plan that will help to address voter apathy in the state.
Comrade Bishir Dauda Sabuwar Unguwa Katsina
