Youths and the Danger of Complacency: A Wake-Up Call for 2027
This marks the fourth occasion I have addressed the critical issues of civic incompetence and the peril of complacency, even as we continuously lament the elusive "dividends of democracy." I have explored this theme under various titles, including the danger of ignoring the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) as a weapon of mass destruction against corrupt leadership. I return to this subject now because we are once again on the march, with the race for 2027 already overshadowing the urgent need to protect the very citizens who must vote in that election.
Understanding the Times: A Call to Action
The pressing matter at hand is understanding the times we live in. This is a moment to resist the shenanigans and peccadilloes of our dealers—or rather, leaders—who are distracting us from the essential task of reclaiming our country through Project 2027. In the next ten months, we will inevitably face the consequences of our electoral choices. Unless we awaken from our habitual complacency, after the 2027 elections, we may find ourselves reading from another book of lamentation.
We have long complained about the 16 years that locusts consumed under the PDP from 1999 to 2015. Currently, we lament the unspeakably harrowing last decade under the ruling APC. We wonder why democracy has delivered so little beyond a semblance of freedom over the past 27 years. Justifiably, we claim that democracy has become less participatory since 1999, with poor voter turnout even in off-season elections.
Fellow Nigerians, this is not a time for mere questions and lamentation. Let me reiterate: lamentation is not a strategy for change. This period of anomie demands actionable reflection on where the rain began and who the rainmakers are. It is not a time for the complacency that artful enemies of democracy seek to exploit against our great nation once more. Instead, it is a time to locate our voter cards or register for new ones, preparing to vote if we desire democracy to serve our common good.
The Urgency of PVC Collection and Voter Participation
Lest we forget, we should not dwell on why some regions are not lamenting over PVC collection while others agonize over registration difficulties. Nor should we question why political leaders, who benefit from our complacency, are not mobilizing people to register and retain their cards for elections. Before we rush to the media post-election to decry alleged INEC manipulation or the destruction of opposition parties by powerful forces, let the people—especially the youth—heed INEC's recent call to take advantage of new registration windows to obtain voter cards.
An ancient warning reminds us that if we consider the weather, we will not sow. Let us not sit idle, assuming that the INEC Chairman has predetermined the 2027 election outcome due to current challenges with ADC leadership disputes. Instead, we must defeat the congenital election riggers who have brought reproach to our nation through rigged leadership recruitment processes. First, we must conquer voter apathy—a deadly malaise that power mongers eagerly celebrate—by overcoming powerful vote buyers and sellers.
This is a time for active participation. Do not sell your PVC. Do not destroy it because of the present state of the nation. Some malicious individuals, who wish for our suffering to continue, are already buying PVCs for Project 2027. This is evil, but note the immediate consequence of your complacency: these buyers in your area aim to undermine support for your preferred candidates. They cannot use your PVC to vote in the true sense. Let us consider data to galvanize action on the power PVCs can grant or forfeit.
Alarming Data on Voter Apathy
As of January 4, 2023, a whopping 6.7 million PVCs remained uncollected across 17 states and the nation's capital, with about five weeks left before the presidential and National Assembly ballots on February 25. This is a staggering figure. In Lagos State alone, as of December 29, 2022, an estimated 1,693,963 PVCs were uncollected. Similar trends plagued other states. It was heartening to note that some Lagos residents even paid to collect their PVCs to avoid self-disenfranchisement.
INEC had opened collection windows on December 12, concluding the exercise on January 22. As INEC reiterated, any registrant without a PVC would not be allowed to vote in the 2023 polls, with only the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) in use. Refocusing on our data: for 2023, INEC's register contained 93.4 million names, up from 82.3 million in 2019. Yet, many did not collect their PVCs, resulting in only 28.6 million or 35% voting in the 2019 presidential election.
Interpretation: This 35% turnout means the 2019 presidential winner was not truly representative of all voters. Researchers have established that, apart from Zimbabwe's 1996 presidential ballot with a 32.3% turnout, Nigeria's 2019 presidential election is the second lowest in recent African elections. This trend continued in 2020's off-season National Assembly and governorship elections. For instance, the Lagos East senatorial election saw a 10% turnout in 2020, while Edo State's governorship ballot recorded 24.22%, Ondo had 31.6%, Anambra 10.38% in November 2021, Ekiti 36.5% in June 2022, and Osun 42.16% in July 2022. The recent Area Council election in Abuja reportedly had a 7.5% turnout, tainting our democracy.
Recall the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in Lagos, where some unknown registrants paid to collect their PVCs? Officially, current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, known as Mr. Lagos, did not win the presidential election in Lagos, where the Labour Party defeated him. He also lost in the nation's capital, Abuja. INEC conducted these elections in 2023.
A Call to Youth and Elders Alike
Before claims arise that Citizen Amupitan has already written the 2027 election results, stored in Black Scorpion Nyesom's armoured safe in London, let us first defeat voter apathy. As I have done repeatedly, I join concerned citizens in encouraging the youth, who are angry with the present ruling class and power elite, to organize rather than agonize. I have read views of young Nigerians who insult elders accusing them of lacking organizational ability in their quest for change. I appeal to angry elders to spare criticism of the youth for specific reasons.
First, I believe some youths have been inspired by unethical behaviors observed in their elders. Instead of castigating them as worthless, we should advise them to emerge from their social media cocoons, fight to register, and collect their voter cards. We must inform them of the power they hold to change their conditions through PVCs. Unemployed young graduates need to understand that poor and clueless political leadership, which exacerbates poverty, begins with election processes. Participation is the only specific exercise that can alter this.
They must also recognize that the powers stifling Nigeria's growth do not want them to vote, as these entities know how to win elections without votes. This is why they oppose electronic voting and real-time transmission of results. Now is the time to mobilize all good Nigerians, unspoiled by sustainable prejudices, to adopt young Nigerians in collecting vital data about our country, which urgently needs redemption.
The Power of Parliament and Collective Action
Social media noise does not deliver victory to preferred candidates. Hence, youth should emerge from their shells, collect their "weapons of mass destruction"—PVCs—and vote out workers of iniquity, including audacious scoundrels in the nation's parliament. Our younger generation must understand that presidential and governorship elections are not the only ones that matter. The parliament is the most important institution in any democracy, where power resides to check executive rascality and safeguard the treasury for the common good.
We should not assume it is impossible to displace a ruthless political class in a country where oily corporations have produced many wealthy individuals without work. We must believe it is possible to overthrow them through free and fair elections we fight for. The clarion call is: do not fear their "war chest" (big election budget). Your PVCs, more powerful, shall pave the way. Heed the warning of former U.S. President Barack Obama: "elections have consequences." However, young and good but complacent people should note this is not a time to denounce the country and its electoral processes, which have discouraged millions of voters. This complacency is why locusts return to consume our future.
Final Rallying Cry
Therefore, here is the real issue: those who have not obtained their PVCs after registering should stop complaining and obtain them today as the bombs needed early next year to blast heartless rulers out of power. Let us wear as a badge of honor the nugget that trended across platforms in June 2022, whose author I do not know but bless: "Your PVC is not just a means of identity to open a new bank account. It is actually a priceless weapon that you must use to fight for your life. Therefore, create time to visit the INEC office in your location, register and collect your card. Hurry now, obtain your PVC today and begin to see it as a powerful tool that must be used. If you are too busy to register or too big to vote, just remember that you are not too big to be ruled by thugs..."
Let us cast this on marble at home from today. Stop lamenting and remember: there are no polling stations on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc., lest we regret our complacency the day after May 29, 2027.
