By Aniekan Sunday
Citizens and residents of Akwa Ibom State have been tasked to ensure they go out en masse to participate in the ongoing continuous voter registration exercise so that they can exercise their Democratic franchise in future elections.
Senior Special Assistant to Governor Umo Eno on Ethical Orientation, Dr. Osondu Ahirika, gave the charge during an interview programme, FOCUS 45 AM broadcast on AKBC Television Channel 113 on Startimes on Thursday, while explaining the importance of obtaining the Permanent Voter Card, PVC.
Dr Ahirika who argued that Citizens have no right to complain about bad governance when they decline participating in the political process of registration as eligible voters and actual voting, said that bad governments persist because of people who refuse to vote.
The Akwa Ibom Governor’s aide urged Citizens who have reached the voting age of 18, those who lost, damaged and wish to replace their voter card, as well as those who have relocated and wish to transfer their voting right to a new polling unit to visit the nearest office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to do so.
Dr Ahirika stressed that only those who get registered would be able to make their choices during the upcoming 2027 general elections. While urging religious, traditional and political leaders as well as civil society groups, sociocultural organisations and political support groups to sensitise and mobilise the people to fully participate in the exercise, he revealed plans to embark on mass sensitisation rallies to reinforce the importance of the exercise.
On his agenda to achieve ethical orientation, Dr Ahirika who thanked Governor Umo Eno for the opportunity given him to serve vowed to leave no stone unturned in tackling social vices including cultism, drug abuse, fake news, cyberbullying, truancy and vandalism of public infrastructure among others.
He expressed deep worry over the apparent erosion of social values including the culture of respect for constituted authority, hard work, loyalty, integrity, and moral rectitude, even as some misguided persons are making a vile profession of peddling rumours, spreading fake news and political blackmail.
He however called on the people to resist all appearances of evil and not lose faith in God, expressing optimism that attaining mindset reorientation, attitudinal change and social responsibility is possible once people imbibe the right ethics and values that make life worthwhile.
