Institute urges INEC to extend voter card registration

Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the period for voter card registration beyond June 30 to enable more Nigerians to participate in coming elections.

Executive Director of the institute, Courage Nsirimovu, in a statement in Port Harcourt, yesterday, said leaders had failed Nigerians by their selfish and poor leadership patterns across the nation on matters of security, and human rights and economy.

Nsirimovu said: “Most of the politicians we have in Nigeria today either do not understand the mode of running a democracy or they just act with utmost impunity, stealing public funds, using public funds to run for political positions, disobeying court orders, suppressing freedom of expression and assembly.

“The state of the nation reveals that costs of goods and services have either doubled or tripled, hence the cost of living is way too high. The standard of living has been devalued, thereby deepening poverty among citizens of the nation. Stable power supply has continued to dwindle across the country even with the rebranding of NEPA to PHCN and the eventual privatisation of the sector in 2013. In 2022, the nation experienced two major blackouts across major cities due to the collapse of the national grid.

“The rise in kidnapping, terrorism and armed robbery has made insecurity a high priority issue across the country. The nation has seen the brashness of Boko Haram in the north, herdsmen and “unknown gunmen” all around the country.

He encouraged Nigerians to get their PVCs and vote for candidates that would make life better for them in the 2023 elections.

He said: “IHRHL believes that we can have a better power supply, better infrastructural development, food security, good education for all, better healthcare facilities and better refineries to harness our rich oil reserves. IHRHL also believes that Boko Haram can be stamped out if we have a President that is willing to fight terrorism.”

He urged political parties to put the interest of the people above personal interest and ensure the development of the nation with the resources available to them.

He called on the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to wake up to its responsibilities to security Nigerians.