…says INEC’s June deadline unrealistic
Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has raised the alarm on the risk of the North “slipping further down the brink of irrelevance, impotence, inconsequence and permanent decay” with the low rate of voter registration by Northerners.
A statement signed by CNG’s spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, while noting that the June deadline for the exercise set by INEC may not be realistic, warned that while key Southern leaders are on a deliberate drive to close the registered voters gap between the North and South, regrettably the usual enthusiasm by the North to maintain its voter strength is waning in the North.
“We are worried that while Southern forces are pushing for registration by the young in the South, widespread apathy has enveloped the North, in addition to situational disabilities like displaced people, general lack of access to registration centres, lack of internet connectivity, insecurity, and discouragement from certain quarters,” the statement said.
The CNG said it is aware that Southern organisations are mobilising their young, through all kinds of campaigns and persuasions, as well as incentives to register enmasse.
The statement added, “The target is 15 million new voters to be registered in the South, and, by achieving this, not only vote en bloc, but takeover political power for good, and finalise the crippling of the North,” pointing at the trending video clip of Pastor Paul Adefarasin as an example of the campaign mounted by the South.
“The North needs to quickly work to ensure that its people register appropriately and also needs to examine the need for INEC to extend the June closure deadline,” Suleiman said.
He recounted the huge discrepancy in voter superiority between the North and South in the 2019 register, which he said informed the Southern desperation to raise its stock of registered voters by 15 million, while Northerners were unable to register.
“The 2019 voter register shows that the North West had 20 million, South West 15.8 million, North Central 13.1 million, South South 12.6 million, North East — 11.3 million and the South East 9.5 million giving the total majority registered voters to Northern Nigeria 44.3 million while Southern Nigeria 38 million.
“The voter turnout for the 2019 Presidential election stood at 44% in the North West, 43% in the North East, and 37% in the North Central amounting to a total 41% while the South South had 17%, South West 28% and South East 25% totaling 27%.
“Unfortunately, the prevailing circumstances strongly suggest that the Northern states of Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau, Borno, Sokoto and Niger that produced the highest number of votes to decide who became President in 2019, stand the risk of becoming weaker with lower voter turnout unless the North wakes up from the current slumber, ” Suleiman warned.
