Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, is calling on the South-East of Nigeria to quickly step up the ongoing voter registration exercise, which the region lags behind.
El-Rufai made the statements during a recent trip to Imo State where he called on Igbo women to talk to their children and acquaintances about registering to vote, since we all live and breathe and as such, they will be relevant in the future, now:
“The bulk of young people now who are sixteen years old will all be eligible to vote, in 2027. So, tell them you better get registered now and your names will be added to the electoral roll,” he said.
While it does not come down to political persuasions, he emphasized that voter registration is also mostly a civic duty. El-Rufai highlighted to citizens that democracy is only functional when people participate, it is not only Allah.
He said, “the data for the last two weeks has confirmed that the South-East states are behind when it comes to registration and if we do not change that, the fear will come that South-East may have far fewer votes possible in a few months.”
El-Rufai added he has no intent to run for office in 2027; he intends to encourage credible leadership and ultimately push all Nigerians to engage democratically together throughout the country.