Osun – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured that it will redouble its efforts to reduce incidents of void votes in the governorship election scheduled for July 16, 2022 in Osun state and in future elections.
The Commission aims to achieve this by adopting the cultural and traditional methods of the people in the drafting and dissemination of Voter Education and content.
Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Osun state, Prof. Olayinka Abdulganiyu Raji, gave the assurance while addressing participants drawn from the Commission, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and the Media at a Voter Education and Publicity Implementation Workshop organised with support from the International Foundation for Electoral Support (IFES) in Osogbo, on Wednesday.
Raji stated that the voter education and publicity drive in the state towards the governorship election slated for July 16, would be anchored on the rich cultural and social values of the people, which according to him will suit the peculiarities of the people.
He urged the voter education and publicity officers to “study the traditions and culture of the people and use it to add value to the sensitization and mobilization drive of the Commission, stressing that “such would enable the people to understand and assimilate our messages”.
Enumerating the objectives of the Workshop, the Director, Voter Education and Publicity Department, Mr Ayodele Victor Aluko, represented by the Deputy Director, Voter Education, Mrs. Mary Nkem, stated that the Workshop was aimed at sharing with Voter Education providers in Osun State the Voter Education and Publicity Template of the Commission for the governorship election in order get them to work collectively as a team to achieve the same purpose.
Aluko added that the Workshop was aimed at sharing major changes in the processes and procedures in election conduct to enable the participants to communicate well and communicate the right messages.
In his goodwill message, the Deputy Country Director of IFES, Mr Obaje Ukeh, described voter education and publicity as “seasoning vital to the success of every election world over, as no election can be successful without voter education and publicity”.
He urged the voter education and public enlightenment officers to pay special attention to the content they deliver to the public as voters depend on such information to know their rights and responsibilities in the electoral process.
Speaking, the State Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs Winifred Ngozi Shokpeke, pledged to use the INEC Ambassadors, a Community Development Service(CDS) group made up of serving corps member, to support the voter enlightenment and sensitization drive in the state.
On his part , the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Wasiu Ajeidusi, noted that the credibility and acceptability of the result of every election depends to a large extent on the turnout of voters .
The NUJ Chairman urged stakeholders such as; political parties, Media, Community and Leaders of Faith groups, to engage in robust voter education and public enlightenment to achieve at least 40 % turnout of voters during the governorship election in the state.
The Deputy Director, NOA in the state, Kikelomo Hameed also pledged the commitment of the agency to support INEC in the dissemination of voter education messages and mobilize the Osun people to participate massively in the July 16, election. (vitalnews)
