Kano Govt Inaugurates Voter Registration Committee,Targets 10 Million Voters
By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Kano State Government has inaugurated a Committee on Voter Registration and Civic Awareness to mobilize the people of the state to participate in the ongoing nationwide voter registration exercise being conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf Inaugurated the committee in Kano on Friday,directing body to ensure that the state registers no fewer than 10 million eligible voters during the exercise.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Umar Faruk Ibrahim,the Governor said the initiative reflected the government’s commitment to ensuring that every eligible resident of the state had the opportunity to register and exercise their franchise in future elections.
He said the committee is a broad-based body comprising technocrats, Islamic scholars, broadcasters, business leaders, journalists and a representative of the opposition political parties,among others.
He charged the committee to ensure that Kano gains an additional 5 million registered voters by the end of the voter registration and voter card revalidation exercise.
“Kano today stands as the most populous state in the country, and with the political awareness of the state and the number of voters who were previously disenfranchised due to lack of voter cards, you have the duty to make sure these groups collect their cards,” he said.
“The objective of setting up this committee is to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of this exercise. The government will provide all the necessary support to achieve this target,” Yusuf said.
He directed the committee to intensify voter sensitisation campaigns across all the 44 local government areas of the state, stressing the importance of inclusive participation in strengthening democracy.
He also urged the committee to go to every corner of the state and enlighten the people on their rights to either revalidate their voter cards or collect new ones.
In his remarks,the Chairman of the committee who is also the state Commissioner of Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, assured the government that the body would deliver on its mandate.
“We assure the government and the people of the state that we will not betray the trust reposed in us. We will work tirelessly to mobilise residents and achieve the target,” Wayya said.