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By Bunmi Ishola
I was at a popular market some few days ago trying to do some shopping. I had tried to get some cash via a POS agent to no avail. I got lucky on the fourth trial. The agent insisted I would pay N200 on each N1,000 I was to collect. I initially refused and left but had to come back as it seemed he was the only one in that vicinity who had cash. I had tried to use an ATM machine initially but had to leave due to the mammoth crowd. Some few other people met me at this stand and had to wait for their turn. Four men and three women. The network was not favourable, so everyone was forced to wait for some few minutes after getting identification numbers. Conversations ensued and it came to current affairs, politics and voting. Each individual was analysing his or her preferred candidate. It was an interesting discussion and I paid rapt attention while pretending as if I wasn’t bothered. Eventually, one of the men concluded he wouldn’t be voting because, according to him, votes do not count in Nigeria. Another said people were just wasting their time queuing at polling stations because at the end of the day, those in power already know how to manipulate the votes in their favour.
The other two people joined and applauded him and one of the ladies said she would buy enough petrol on the election days to watch movies. That was when I smiled and tried to enlighten them on why this obnoxious way of reasoning is not correct at all. It is wrong to say votes don’t count. The Federal Government of Nigeria is doing so much to make voting easy in Nigeria by introducing modern mechanisms. The voting system in Nigeria has evolved since 1999 with the introduction of internet-enabled machines to begin and end the voting process. There is, for one, the introduction of the Permanent Voter Card (PVC). The PVC was formally introduced in November 2012 by the then chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, in preparation towards the 2015 elections. The PVC has micro testing security hologram and fingerprint aimed at eliminating electoral fraud and to ensure credible and transparent polls.
Once you have your PVC, you can use it anytime there is an election once you have been accredited and marked eligible to vote. It has a 10-year life span. Even if you change location, you can still get another one to that effect so that you won’t be disenfranchised. Unlike yesteryears, Nigerians do not have to be going up and down to get a voter card when elections are nearby. Another mechanism is the introduction of the Bimodial Voter Accreditation System Machine (BIVAS). The BVAS is an electronic device designed to read the PVC and authenticate a voter using the voter’s fingerprints. This is to ensure that such a voter has the right to vote at a particular polling booth. BVAS usage entails scanning the barcode/QR code on the PVC/voter register or entering the last digits of the voter’s identity number or typing in the last name of the voter by the Assisting Presiding Officer (APO1) to identify and authenticate the voter.
It also replaced the Z-pad for uploading the polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time on Election Day. This means votes are recorded immediately voters exercise their civic rights. It also means the votes can be followed by everyone. It has been recently tried in few states of the federation in preparation for the 2022 elections and many officials of INEC have attested to its efficacy. The field trials were conducted in Anambra, Edo, Bauchi, Oyo, Sokoto, Lagos, Ondo and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). With the introduction of BIVAS, snatching of ballot boxes would be an exercise futility. People are yet to realise that only the people have the power to choose their leaders and this is the only way to do it. The idea that votes do not count have been in existence for a very long time in this country and it is high time people knew it is an erroneous assertion. With the idea that votes do not count, many Nigerians have denied themselves the right to choose who they really want to lead them. They fail to understand that abstaining from voting is what will actually create a loophole in the voting process.
Many have registered for the acquisition of their voter’s cards but have refused to go for collection. Many did not even bother to register for it as they do not have the intention of voting at all. That’s why when some things are perceived to be wrong, they do not have the boldness to condemn or call the attention of the government in power to them. The idea of not voting will only wreak more havoc to the polity. The various efforts that the Federal Government is making to ensure we have a free and fair election this year should actually be commended. The government is trying to ensure that election is free and fair and that nobody is disenfranchised. At this point in time, it is very wrong for any Nigerian to still think votes do not count. Voting is the only way the people can speak. Exercising your civic rights is essential, since everyone cannot be the leader. You cannot allow a few people to decide your fate when you can actually do so yourself with the power of your PVC.
It is in the best interest of all and sundry to change this mentality for the good of the nation and for the betterment of the country as a whole. Man your polling units with your PVC to ensure victory for your candidate on election day. As the 2023 elections draw closer, every Nigerian should go out en masse and cast their vote as long as they are above the age of 18. Only you can make your votes count by exercising your civic rights.
- Ishola is on the staff of Nigerian Tribune
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