By Adeyemi Adeleye
The APC Presidential Campaign Council (APCPCC), Directorate of Grassroots Engagement and Orientation, Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government, Lagos State on Tuesday kicked off “Operation No Void Votes” in Lagos State.
This, it said, was aimed at educating the electorate on the need to thumbprint correctly on the ballot paper in the 2023 general elections.
Dr Atinuke Owolabi, Co-ordinator, Directorate for Ifako- Ijaiye, said the directorate would visit all nooks and crannies of the area for the exercise.
Owolabi said the electorate needed to be sensitised to avoid any situation that would reduce the votes of the APC Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates in Lagos state.
According to her, the directorate has printed 5000 dummy ballot papers to conduct a mock voting examination for electorate on how to vote.
He said the operation would be taken to all zones, wards, polling units and streets to prevent void votes on election day.
“If we do not vote properly, we are not going to get the five million votes we target for Tinubu in Lagos. We must make sure we use our index finger (not thumb) to cast our votes for APC. Our people must learn how to vote properly.
“If we get Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and do not know how to vote right, the essence is defeated. We want zero void votes in Lagos state. Here in Ifako-Ijaiye, we are ready to deliver 200,000 votes for Tinubu come Feb. 25, and all other candidates.
“We have printed 5000 dummy ballot papers to educate ourselves at this flag off, we are taking if down to the wards, zones and units,” Owolabi said.
According to her, as the directorate sensitises people to get their PVCs, there will be continuation of education and enlightenment of votes on how to prevent void votes.
“Tinubu deserves the best from this election and we are ready here in Ifako-Ijaiye,” she added.
Assessing the mock voting, Owolabi said that only one out of three voters first selected for the examination cast their votes correctly.
The co-ordinator said: “That really shows us that we have a lot of work to do. These are grassroots people, 80 per cent of them do not have western education.
“We need to continue to engage them, and that is the reason for creating this directorate to continue to engage the people at the grassroots on the right way to vote.”
She urged all other stakeholders not to relent in stepping down the education to all the people at the grassroots.
Owolabi commended the Lagos state Coordinator of the directorate, Mrs Jumoke Okoya-Thomas for being visionary and passionate about making ballots cast for APC count.
Earlier, Mr Benjamin Olabinjo, APC House of Representatives’ candidate for Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency, noted that Tinubu’s election remained the most important.
He called on all eligible residents to pick up their PVCs at the Independent National Electorate Commission’s office.
Olabinjo, who commended the directorate for the voter education on how to vote, appealed to the trainees to in turn, train others, saying: “We need these votes in huge numbers.”
According to him, with APC in government across all levels, many of the challenges of the residents will be addressed.
Olabinjo, who urged the people to vote en-mass for Tinubu, added that, the former governor’s antecedents and track records were enough to give hope for the masses.
Mr Temitope Adewale, representing Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency I, in the Lagos State House of Assembly urged the electorate to ensure collection of their PVCs in order to have opportunity to vote.
“Without voters’ cards, there is no reason to be here if you have not got yours. Thank God the PVCs are now at the ward levels, we are begging you to mobilise others.
“Those of you who are lovers of Tinubu and our governor should get their PVCs now. If Tinubu wins, there will be hope and comfort,” Adewale, who is also seeking re-election, said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was attended by representatives of various traditional rulers, interest groups, market men and women and youths among others.(NAN)
