PVC – Like Sultan, Like 30m Nigerians ===================== THE coming elections hold vast handles for assessing fairness and readiness of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The most important issue appears to be the permanent voter’s card, PVC, which INEC has not delivered to prospective voters. More than 30m – almost 50 per cent of the registered voters – have not collected the cards. Unless extraordinary measures, like a public holiday to enable voters collect the cards are taken, the voters may not get them. INEC too has been equivocal about availability of the cards. If they are ready; they are unavailable. What is the fate of those with temporary cards, without PVC? The revelation of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III that he had no card, shows another side of the elections. How would the Sultan, who has a polling booth in his palace, not have the PVC? Who then has the PVC? The Sultan considered the matter serious enough that he brought it to the attention of President Goodluck Jonathan who was in the palace. Some could see INEC’s non-preferential treatment for the Sultan as an indication of its fairness. Gone are the days when the cards would be delivered to the powerful to cover the poor performances of INEC. The PVC-less Sultan adds a powerful voice to concerns of millions of Nigerians who may be unable to vote. “We have to look for a way out. It is for your government to now look for what to do; how to ensure that all the cards get to the voters before the voting day or in the alternative, find a way out because in any problem, there is a solution,” the Sultan said. His comments on the emptiness of the campaigns and their heightening divisiveness are issues politicians should address. “We have heard campaign promises left, right and centre but we want to hear from our political leaders. How do you intend to resolve the security issues? How do you intend to tackle unemployment? How do you intend to tackle the rot in education? These are issues that should face the various political leaders instead of mudslinging, calling each other names and whatever,” he advised. Words have been generously spread round issues. The canvassers have refused to tell us how they would deal with challenges Nigeria faces. We are rather regaled with a list of Nigeria’s challenges. Even at the “height” of crude oil prices, these issues got minimal attention. How would a retracting economy accommodate the bogus points raised at the campaigns? We are only weeks to elections in which we do not know if we would vote, and in which the issues are not being discussed.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 02:54:48 +0000
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