Yiaga Africa, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) has urged residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to come out en masse to vote during the local council elections to minimise rigging.

The Executive Director, Yaiga Africa, Samson Itodo made the call at its community outreach at Dutse market to educate residents on the need to participate in the forth coming FCT election.

Itodo said that Yiaga Africa as part of activities to mark its 15th anniversary was mobilising people at the community level to participate in the forthcoming local government elections in the FCT.

He said that more importantly, the group was mobilising citizens in the market to get registered to vote, as well as enlighten them on the procedure for voter registration and to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

“This effort is part of our own contribution to mobilising citizens to participate in the electoral system because votes are counting and citizens can no longer sit on the sidelines and complain without taking action.

“Secondly, the turnout for voters at the elections have been appalling and Yiaga Africa working on elections is very disturbed like other stakeholders and we are very determined to change this.

“So we encourage people to come out and get the leadership that they want, the more you stay away from the voting centres, the more you are going to have political actors subvert the will of the people.

“Riggers rig because people don’t come out for elections, so one way to stop politicians from rigging elections is to come out en masse to vote, stay at the polling station until ballots are counted and results are declared.’’

Itodo said that while the group was working to ensure that the electoral law was assented to, it also wanted to mobilise citizens and give them the confidence to participate in the political process.

He advised Nigerians that have not collected their PVCs to do so because it was the only voice they had to speak at the forth coming elections both at the FCT and in 2023.

He said that their PVCs would give them an opportunity to elect leaders of their choice that would take decision on their behalf.

Itodo advised them to chose leaders that would provide for their welfare and security which was the primary purpose of government .

“We chose the market in Duste Alhaji because this is a place where people congregate, so we are using this strategy to reach people who have come to the market to procure either goods or services and to enlighten them about this process.

“If we are serious about increasing turnout in elections then we have to go meet people where they are and this is what Yiaga Africa is doing, ’’ he said

According to Itodo, people should not sit at home thinking that votes don’t count because votes do count and if votes are going to count any further, people have to come out, register, collect their PVCs and vote at the next elections.

He said that Yiaga Africa was working around political reforms and political actors and engaging the electoral law geared toward reforming the character of the political class expecting them to play the game according to the rules.

He said the idea was to also shift their behaviours that political power should be used as an instrument to advance the common goal.

“Anyone aspiring to run for office must have an agenda to lift people out of poverty, provide for the security of the people; and provide economic development in order to deserve the vote of the people.’’

Itodo, therefore, encouraged the political class in their selection of leaders to chose individuals who have the character, capacity and competence to rule and provide excellent leadership.

He also urged the electorate ,“who are the actual king makers in a democracy with the power to activate that power to choose right because any leadership that emerged out of an election was a reflection of what the people want.

The Director of Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu said that there was power in PVCs but politicians want Nigerians to believe that the system would not work .

“They want us to continually stay away from participation so they will always tell us votes don’t count but that is a lie , votes are beginning to count.

“The only way we can change the outcome of the elections is to come out in our numbers and vote especially for local council election.

“Why are the local council elections important for Nigerians ?,for women, for residents of Abuja? because the local government is the closest government to the people and we cannot talk about democracy without local government.’’

Mbamalu urged residents to vote to change the narrative of governance at the local government levels to make them more accountable to deliver the dividends of democracy to them.

Mr Eugene Aguiyi, the Chairman Ohanaze Ndiigbo Traders Wing, Dutse Market, pledged the cooperation of his members to ensure that credible leaders were voted in the FCT elections by participating in the process.