Voter apathy wastes resources, slows development in Nigeria – ex-INEC boss
PanNigerianNews
2 min read
Sunday ADEPOJU
Voter apathy has been said to have wasted funds that should have been expended on development projects in Nigeria.
A former national commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), South-South, Dr Muhammed Mustafa Lecky, stated this, on Tuesday, while featuring on a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme “Issues of the Moment”, monitored by PANNIGERIAN NEWS.
Speaking on the theme “Towards a Credible 2023 Elections”, Dr Lecky decried that the menace of voter apathy has cost the country what he called whooping amount of money which could have expended to provide for the needs of the citizens.
Dr Lecky, who was a former Executive Secretar of the Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON), explained that elegible voters should exercise their rights, adding that the INEC has made tremendous improvements in conducting elections.
He said, “It is very expensive to run elections. We talk about the population and territory. Every citizen who has attained 18 years of age and above is entitled to a ballot paper for an election.”
He said that a voter would vote for House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship, presidency, among other local government offices, lamenting that ballot papers would be printed for about 83 million people.
He decried, however, that 25 per cent of eligible voters would vote during elections.
“Unfortunately, 25 per cent of eligible voters come out to vote during elections.
“Look at the number of unused ballot papers that will be shredded and burnt after elections. It is as simple as the country burning its Naira notes.
“This is a lot of money that would have been used for other things that would bring development to the nation,” he said.
He, therefore, called on INEC, Nigerians – particularly voters – and civil society organisations to do the needful.
Describing as false the insinuation that votes don’t count in Nigeria, Lecky maintained that the electorate should jettison the erroneous belief.
“Votes will really count in Nigeria. People should all come out and exercise their rights. The INEC has made tremendous improvements in the transparency and integrity in the process.”
