Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on Nigerians to take advantage of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
INEC on Monday commenced the nationwide CVR exercise, which includes online pre-registration, ahead of the forthcoming off-cycle elections in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti States, as well as the 2027 general elections.
In a statement shared on his social media handle titled “PVC is the bridge to a New Nigeria”, Obi urged Nigerians, both young and old, to register and ensure they are eligible to vote.
His statement reads, “The future of our dear nation is in your hands. The greatest strength of democracy is in the voter’s card. Your PVC is the voice of the voiceless, the shield of the weak, and the weapon of the poor for a better life against injustice and bad leadership.
“I appeal to every Nigerian: Get organised and make election rigging difficult. Go out, register, collect your PVC, and hold it firmly as your bridge to a new Nigeria.
“Let us know this: those who buy votes are not offering you charity; they only invest in their own corruption. They buy votes so that they can buy their way into our treasury to steal public money.
“When they get into that office, they will loot the funds that should have been used to build schools, hospitals or provide good jobs. Such people are not leaders, they are criminals in disguise. They are no better than killers, armed robbers, and kidnappers, because they commit the same crime of destruction.
“To those who sell their votes, you are not just selling an election, you are selling the very opportunities that would have lifted you and your family out of poverty.
“You are selling the schools that your children should have attended, the hospitals that should save your loved ones and the jobs that would have given you dignity and a better life. Those who buy your vote are only buying it to make a profit from the seat of power, not to serve you.
“The power to change this country is in your hands, the looters will only loot when we give them the opportunity. Your vote counts, if it doesn’t, they would not be desperately buying that vote.”
The former governor stated that every Nigerian must rise and take responsibility for building the nation.
Peter Obi added that “Our democracy is at stake. That is why I urge every eligible Nigerian to register, collect, and safeguard your PVC, and when the time comes, use it wisely. Vote for leaders of competence, character, capacity, and compassion.
“Leaders who will put you first. Do not be intimidated, do not be deceived, and do not be bought.”
He urged everyone to stand together and prove that Nigeria belongs to the people, not to those who trade the future for their selfish gain.
“Register to vote, because a new Nigeria starts with you,” Peter Obi concluded.