Ahead of the forthcoming general election, youths in the South-East zone have been advised to drop their habit of turning election days into recreation period to engage in playing street football.
The South-East chapter of the Kwankwaso National Network(KNN), which is one of the formidable political structures backing the Obi-Kwankwaso joint presidential ticket, gave the admonition against the persistent voter apathy among young persons.
In past elections, many youths of voting age were not seen at the polling units but in the empty streets playing football on the election days during the hours of voting instead of going to cast their ballots.
But in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Dr Ukpai Iro Ukpai, the South-East KNN vehemently decried the practice, saying that 2027 general election should be an opportunity for youths to reconsider their nonchalant attitude to voting.
“Election day is not a day for street football or recreational activities. It is a day when every eligible citizen has an opportunity to determine who governs and represents them.
“No responsible young person should surrender that power to others and later complain about bad governance. If we do not participate, we cannot expect others to protect our interests,” he said.
He noted that abandoning the polling units to engage in street football would amount to playing with their political future and collective interests hence young persons should get ready to express their political sentiments with their ballots.
Ukpai sttessed the importance of voting in a democracy, saying that “it is not merely a civic obligation but a powerful instrument through which citizens determine the quality and direction of governance”.
He urged all eligible voters across the five South-East states to reject political apathy and refuse to allow others to decide their future on their behalf.
“The future is not decided on social media or in football fields. It is decided by citizens who show up, vote and remain engaged with the democratic process.
“We must therefore leave the streets on election day, go to the polling units and exercise our constitutional right. Nobody should sit at home and subsequently complain that the wrong people were elected,”
Ukpai stated.
He reminded youths that the consequences of elections extend far beyond the polling booth, given that decisions taken by elected leaders ultimately affect virtually every aspect of citizens’ lives, including security, education, employment, infrastructure, healthcare and economic opportunities.
The Coordinator of South-East KNN charged youths to take a greater interest in politics and electoral participation, insisting that youths in the region could no longer afford to remain spectators during elections.
He advised them to borrow a leaf from some parts of Northern Nigeria that have strong political consciousness and participation as traditionally displayed by voters, including the youth population.
Ukpai pointed out that population and numerical strength would only become politically meaningful when translated into votes.
According to him, “with Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso coming together, the South-East has perhaps its closest chance of producing the President of Nigeria through a broad-based political alliance” adding that “the opportunity must not be squandered”
“That opportunity must not be smoked through indifference, apathy or the belief that someone else will do the work. Every vote will matter,” he said.
The KNN had already set a target of securing one million votes from each of the five states of the South-East states come in the 2027 presidential election, which would require sustained mobilisation and active participation by eligible voters.
To achieve its set political goal, the group said that it would commence an aggressive grassroots mobilisation campaign across electoral wards in the zone to sensitise youths and other eligible voters on the importance of the 2027 elections and the need for active participation.
It said the campaign would focus particularly on first-time voters and young people, whom it described as critical stakeholders in determining the political direction of the country.
KNN maintained that citizens must move beyond complaining about bad governance and become active participants in the process of choosing those entrusted with public power.
