Politics
Party Harps On Voter Education
The Progressive Action Congress (PAC) on Thursday called on
politicians and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give
priority attention to voter education for the betterment of the nation’s
electoral process.
The National Chairman, Chief Charles Nwodo, who made the
call in an interview with The Tide’s source in Abuja, said voter education was
a critical area that must be given a priority in the process of electoral reform.
He regretted that it was the negligence of the importance of
voter education that had been responsible for violence and bulk voided votes
during elections.
“ It is unfortunate that Nigeria operates fire brigade
approach in some of our undertakings, especially as regards to voter education.
“ Instead of encouraging the electorate with voter education
within the four years of interregnum, we waited until elections are about to
start,” he said.
He said it was not the responsibilities of INEC alone, but
collaborative efforts among the stakeholders, like the political parties, civil
societies, NOA, churches and mosques and even the traditional institutions.
Nwodo said the government should accommodate in its plans
the stakeholders in the budgetary allocation to voter education for vast
campaign down to the grass roots.
According to him, the campaign should be holistic ranging
from logo identification to the right fingers to be used during elections.
“ The process of complaints where one’s name is omitted, the
dangers of violence and rigging, how to protect their votes and how to make
votes count generally will be avoided.
“ All information related to the elections should be made
known in advance for the betterment of the exercise.
“ People who have relocated from their original homes are
expected to know where to vote in subsequent elections,” he added.
The chairman said it must also be followed with honesty,
transparency and accountability in all resources to be used for the elections.
He added that the electoral officers were also expected to
be conversant with the functions of each form used during elections in order to
avoid confusion and anarchy.
He urged the Federal Government to put every measure in
place in order to ensure smooth running of the entire exercise and to also
serve as basis to punish electoral offenders.
He also tasked the National Assembly in the interest of the
nation to create Electoral Offences Commission (EOC) with defined
responsibilities in order to check mate electoral fraud.
“ It is high time we practiced rule of law to avoid the
jamboree experienced in the previous elections where people keep registration
machines in their homes and nothing comes out of it at the end of the day.
“ When people are fully educated, it will go a long way in
curtailing violence and bring about credible elections, ‘’ he said.
He said voter education should be taken as part of civic
education in primary and secondary schools with the intentions of, “ catching
them young and avoiding the repeat of the past.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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