By Chidi Aloysius Nwosu (Abia Writers)
Edited by Livingrich Ezeikpe
Elections in Nigeria are billed to hold in 2019. Nigerian politicians will always go to worship centres; markets and other public places to make fake promises as they did last four years. They told the masses that they would build roads, improve electricity, sink free boreholes and give employment to unemployed youths; it's still the same promise made to the same masses and none was fulfilled instead, after the election they traveled to Abuja only to come back with their fake promises to lure people into voting for them again.

They now tell the people to go and get registered and get their permanent voter's card. This registration for voter's cards is used to rig election. This was how they rigged the elections with the registered voters list; after registering they will know the number of people that registered in all the polling units, during the elections they would employ thugs to carry boxes, in most cases the incumbent will use military or police vehicle in collaboration with the police or military to carry the boxes to unknown places and thumbprint the cards according to the number of people that registered.

In some cases, the independent national electoral commission's officials won't even go to the polling units or booth but the results of the booths will be announced and you will wonder how they came about the results with the exact number of voters, this was possible because you registered and they know the number, so they can rig with the number of people registered. It is then wondered why the masses can't learn from the past elections and know that their votes never count, but on a second thought, it is realized that the politicians intentionally impoverish the masses to make it easier to lure them into voting for them by giving them money during the election.

Banks have now joined as one of the instruments used to perpetrate this heinous political crime. It is common knowledge that most of the banks are owned by the politicians and regulated by them with the help of the central bank. Imagine now that the elections are around the corner, if you go to the bank to withdraw money from the counter, the cashier asks you if you have gotten the permanent voter's card and if you say no the cashier then tells you to make sure when next you are coming to come with the permanent voter's card. It doesn’t end there, the banks also request the masses to provide permanent voter's card before an account can be opened, if you don't provide it then they won't allow you to open an account with them. Then one asks, is this how it is done in other countries?

The masses should take note that the registering and obtaining of permanent voters card is their civic right and not an obligation. So they should not allow anybody to force or compel them to do it against their wish. The masses should know that their votes never count, and demand for change by refusing to register and refusing to vote. We have been voting for more than fifty years now without seeing any positive change in our condition, let us try not voting and see how it will impact us.

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