Enugu Justifies Mass Mobilization for Voters Registration
January 11, 2007

This was stated by the Enugu State Committee on fuller voter registration exercise which has just been inaugurated by the State Governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani .

Rising from its inaugural meeting in the office of the Secretary to Government of Enugu State, the Committee has placed a call to Chairmen of Councils, Councilors and traditional rulers to rise to the challenge of shaking off the local people's inertia to actively participate in the electoral process.

According to the chairman of the State Committee, Dr. Dan Shere, who is also the Secretary to Enugu State Government, revalidation of voters register and the active participation of the index citizen in the electoral process is as much the responsibility of the local Councilors and traditional rulers as it is that of the state government.

Reaffirming government position on the over-riding importance of holding the voter's card among the adult citizens, Shere said that he was indeed shocked that local council officials and traditional rulers rather paid little attention to such an important exercise which he declared was an important factor in the conduct of business of government.

The Secretary to State Government also admonished the Councilors and the local government bosses to deploy their usual political mobilization tactics to get the people out to revalidate their voter's cards and to deploy their numerical strength in the electoral process. He wondered why local leaders had previously down played the process when they knew that the interest of political leadership always depend more on the voter-strength of each local community or ward.

Shere also counseled ward leaders of the various political parties as well as other community leaders to pay strong attention to the voter revalidation exercise to ensure the rights of their people.

Irked by poor response and ineffectiveness of the revalidation exercise, Governor Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State had appointed a Committee to fully moblise the state to raise its voter strength and expand people's participation in the electoral process.

The governor had charged the committee to employ every possible programme to get people register and be active participants in the electoral process. Against that background, measures such as compulsory registration before salary of civil servants was paid, among others, were adopted.

Government also directed Commissioners, Legislators, every political appointee and the local council bosses to move to the rural areas to assist and to ensure the functionality of electronic equipment for the registration exercise.