…Urge their people resident outside the LGA to transfer their polling units to Ezeagu Council Area
Ahead of the 2023 general elections and the bid to increase the number of eligible voters, the Enugu state Deputy Governor, Hon. (Mrs) Cecilia Ezeilo, and the member representing Ezeagu constituency in the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Chima Obieze, led a “Get Your Permanent Voters Card” (PVC) sensitization in Ezeagu Local Government Area.
At the event held on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, the deputy Governor and the lawmaker called on the sons and daughters of Ezeagu, eligible to vote to register and get their PVC while urging those from the council but registered in other areas to transfer their voting units to Ezeagu.
They made the call at an Expanded Ezeagu stakeholders Town Hall meeting held at “Igbudu” lodge, Council headquarters.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Governor, Cecilia Ezeilo, appealed to eligible voters who had not registered or collected their PVC to do so, adding that it’s the only thing they will arm themselves with during the 2023 general elections.
She said,” Go and register. You cannot say yes or no, until you have your PVC. Let’s go and register. When the time comes we will do as Ezeagu people. The Clergy, the Royal fathers, everybody will play his role. Everybody has a job so at the end, everybody will be happy”.
Also speaking, Rt. Hon. Obieze stressed the need for Ezeagu people to come home and cast their votes during the 2023 general elections. He said so many Ezeagu people were residing in different parts of Enugu state and other states in the country and the time has come for them to show their voting strength.
Obieze disclosed that the aim of the meeting is to sensitize the people of Ezeagu on the need for them to register and collect their PVC if they had not done so and if they had registered outside Ezeagu, they should transfer their Voting units to Ezeagu.
He said, “It is not wining the election that matters, it is the quantum of the votes that matter. It is a competition. Some people said Igbo people have no vote, it is not so. Igbo people are everywhere in Nigeria. Ezeagu people are the Igbo people of Enugu state. They are everywhere in Enugu state.
“Majority of the votes PDP used in wining the elections were from Ezeagu .It is important we use the remaining time to ensure that our brothers and sisters who registered outside Ezeagu, transferred their voting units to Ezeagu, so that they come home to vote. It is something we can actualise. We want to return our votes to Ezeagu and become big brothers in Enugu West,” Obieze said.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Electoral officer, Ezeagu Local government area, Kene Ezebasim in his remark, expressed joy on the level of compliance so far recorded in the Voters registration and collection of PVCs in the area.
He said 86,187 registrations had been recorded so far and 20 additional polling units had been created in the council area.
He appealed to the stakeholders to sensitize eligible people who had not registered to do so and collect their PVC, adding that INEC created a website; https://cvr.inecnigeria.org for people who lost their PVCs, have issues of transfer, omitted cards to lodge their complaints and get the issues resolved.
Others who spoke at the event include: Ezeagu local government chairman, Hon. Chukwudi Ozoelube, Igwe J.C. Okongwu(Aguobu Umuna), Igwe Raphael Okolo (Iwollo), Associate Prof. Uchelusi Okafor, Ozo Achitect Dennis Onyebuchi, Hon. Chief Ebofuanya, Chief Chidiobi Chidiebere, Chief Moses Ejike, spoke on behalf of the President Generals, Hon. Walter Ozoanya, spoke on behalf of the youths, Hon. Obi Okafor, among others.
All the speakers stressed the need for Ezeagu people who registered outside Ezeagu to be sensitized on the need to transfer their voting units to Ezeagu , those who were yet to register, to register, collect their PVC and cast their votes during the 2023 general elections.
Highpoint of the event was a motion by Hon. Chief Edwin Ufuanya that the Stakeholders gathered adopt Barr Peter Mbah as the choice of Ezeagu people. The motion was seconded by Prof Uche Onyekwelu, the question was put and the Stakeholders unanimously echoed in affirmative, endorsing the choice of Barr. Peter Mbah for the 2023 elections.
Highlight of the town hall meeting was the distribution of the “Get Your PVC” caps to the stakeholders, by the Deputy Governor, Hon.(Mrs) Cecilia Ezeilo.
