Two petitions that would compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take necessary steps to ensure Nigerian Students are not disenfranchised in the forthcoming general elections, as well as include pictures and names on the ballot papers have been endorsed by over 50, 000 persons.
There have been criticisms against INEC over its rigid approach to the conduct of the elections which could potentially cause 3, 800 students who make up 40 per cent of newly registered voters to be disenfranchised.
The Commission had asked all registered voters to pick up their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) from designated collection centres in their state of registration before February 5, without which they would not be able to vote during the elections. Millions of PVCs remain uncollected after the expiration period.
Vice President (External Affairs) of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Babatunde Akinteye, noted that during the CVR exercise, students were in their various homes due to the prolonged Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike and that with schools currently in session, many students were unable to return home to collect their PVCs before expiration of the deadline.
Akinteye had urged the Nigerian Government to direct that all tertiary institutions be temporarily shut to afford students the opportunity to collect their PVCs from their polling units, but this request was not granted.
Consequently, a petition was launched by a Human Resource Consultant in Abuja, Ogechi Ekejiuba, to request INEC to make it possible for students to get their PVCs and vote.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that as of Tuesday morning, over 3, 000 persons had signed the petition asking the INEC to ensure that uncollected PVCs are transferred to the present location of Nigerian students to make it possible for them to vote in centres around them.
“We know our roads are not very safe at this moment and it would be risky for these students to travel down because of the election. Also, there is the issue of the cost of transportation a lot of parents may not want to incur because of the election,” Ekejiuba said.
Another petition launched by Otuto Chukwuocha to ask the INEC to include the names of pictures of candidates on the ballot papers has been signed by more than 48, 000 people.
Chukwuocha argued that printing that names and pictures of candidates on the ballot was part of voter education and would make voting easier, especially for those in rural areas who are not very literate.
“INEC should include the picture and names of candidates to match their party logo on the ballot paper to help voters identify their candidate of choice with ease,” he said.
Explaining her reason for signing the petition, Esther Offem said: “I’m signing because we’re interested in the person who becomes the next president of Nigeria and not the political party”.
In the same vein, Caroline Leo said that some agents of political parties deceive unsuspecting voters into voting against their conscience and that having the names and photographs of candidates printed on the ballot papers would help voters easily recognize who they want to vote for.