Convener of The Alternative, Segun Showunmi, has urged Nigerians to go beyond seeing their Permanent Voter Cards, PVC, merely as a means of identification, and instead use them to exercise their franchise.
The PDP chieftain bemoaned the attitude and turnout of residents during elections, saying everyone must be involved in the process of choosing a leader.
Showunmi, who spoke on Thursday during a reorientation and advocacy programme held in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, maintained that Nigerians cannot continue to complain about the government when they are not involved in the process of choosing their leaders.
The PDP chieftain, represented by the South-West Chairman of The Alternative, Olusola Salam, disclosed that the campaign is ongoing across the country to alert residents to the need to cast their votes.
His words: “What we realise is that many people during the election period don’t go out to vote even though the election day is a work free day.
“As one of our projects, we are telling people that this is the right time to get involved in the process so that they can choose the best out of the candidates to lead the rest. Nigeria is one. Bigotry should be eradicated and we must all be involved in this process of choosing the next leader of our country.
“If you check the INEC portals and most of the newpapers and television houses, INEC every day is saying that they have a lot of PVCs uncollected. So, how are they going to reflect the voting system even when the system to choose a leader has been violated by the numbers of voter cards that have been issued but not collected?
“You must be involved in this process to choose a leader, you cannot just sit in your house and complain about a leader or government who is not performing when you did not get involved in the process of choosing the leader.
“What is the essence of you complaining about a government not performing when you’re not even getting involved? Why are you having a voter’s card and you are only using it as an identity card? When asking for an ID card, you use your voter’s card, meanwhile you’re not using it to vote for the leader you want.”
Showunmi, reiterating that the goal is to inspire a new mindset towards politics ahead of the 2027 general elections, called on other political actors to adopt a more human-centred approach to governance and advocacy, saying that true transformation starts with addressing the real needs of the people.
