The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in collaboration with the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTION) and ActionAid Nigeria, on Saturday intensified efforts to mobilise young people in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to register for their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

 

The mobilisation took place during the Turn Up for Democracy Festival held in Abuja, where hundreds of youths turned out to register as first-time voters, transfer their voter registration and replace lost or damaged PVCs as the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise entered its final day.

 

Speaking at the event, Co-Convener of MOTION, Comrade Christopher Ezeguzor, said the initiative was designed to encourage young Nigerians to participate actively in the democratic process, stressing that voter registration was the foundation of civic participation.

 

He said the festival sought to create awareness about the ongoing CVR exercise and encourage eligible Nigerians, particularly young people who had recently turned 18, to register before the exercise ended.

 

According to him, the organisers deliberately combined voter registration with entertainment, including music and comedy performances, to attract more young people and increase participation.

 

Also speaking, the Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Dr Andrew Mamedu, urged Nigerians to take advantage of the voter registration exercise, saying citizens could only determine who governs them by registering and voting during elections.

 

He expressed concern over the country’s low voter turnout, noting that only about 23 to 24 per cent of registered voters participated in the last general election, while voter turnout in the FCT was below 20 per cent.

 

Mamedu said the festival marked the beginning of a broader voter mobilisation campaign targeted at young Nigerians ahead of future elections.

 

He disclosed that ActionAid planned to expand the campaign through market outreaches, town hall meetings, community engagements and other grassroots sensitisation programmes to encourage greater participation in the electoral process.

 

On security, he said the organisation was working closely with INEC, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other relevant agencies to ensure that all mobilisation activities were conducted peacefully.

 

The Administrative Secretary of INEC in the FCT, Abimbola Oladunjoye, described the initiative as timely, coming a day before the conclusion of the CVR exercise.

 

She said the partnership with ActionAid was aimed at attracting more young people to register and access other voter services, including transfers and replacement of lost or damaged PVCs.

 

Oladunjoye said the turnout at the event was impressive, revealing that more than 100 persons had registered within a few hours of the exercise.

 

She added that INEC had strengthened voter registration across the FCT through a mega registration centre at the Old Parade Ground in Area 10, where between 700 and 900 people had been registered daily over the past two weeks.

 

According to her, the commission also deployed mobile registration teams to area councils and communities, including Abaji, Gwagwalada, Kwali, Kuje and Bwari, to make the exercise more accessible.

 

Oladunjoye assured residents that INEC would continue to explore ways of bringing voter registration closer to communities while maintaining adequate security at all registration centres.