Society trains mobilizers for Ekiti election participation

The group decried the high rate of voter apathy during the 2018 governorship election in the state.

It urged eligible voters to come out en masse and exercise their franchise in the upcoming election.

He urged the citizenry to participate in the electoral process and also hold their leaders accountable.

He said that their participation in the electoral process was critical to nation-building.

He further urged participants to educate people in their respective communities to shun vote-buying and vote-selling.

According to him, such an unwholesome practice would be out of business if there is nobody interested in buying and selling.

Earlier, the Convener of the group, Olasupo Abideen, bemoaned low voter participation in the current electoral processes.

Abideen said that his organization was working assiduously to change the narrative.

“We are doing this by encouraging more people to register and collect their Permanent Voter Cards.

“As citizens, we must understand that we can’t achieve a better Nigeria if we refuse to participate in the electoral process,” he said.

In a lecture, Ayomide Agbaje educated the participants on how they can use the new media to reduce voter apathy.

He called on INEC to work towards reducing the incidence of machine malfunctioning during elections.

The Executive Director of Balm in Gilead Foundation for Sustainable Development, Nelson Akerele, spoke on various issues, including voter education, vote-buying, challenges faced by people living with disabilities during elections, and the general attitude of Nigerians to governance.

Akerele tutored the trainees on the rudiments of advocacy, community mapping, power mapping, mobilization, and stakeholder organization.

He, therefore, called on Nigerian youth to always speak with one voice and demand accountability from their leaders.

In a goodwill message, the INEC Desk Officer in Ekiti, Funke Ojo, lauded Yvote Naija for the initiative.

Ojo reaffirmed the commitment of the electoral body to ensure the success of the governorship election in the state.