The Kaduna State government has expressed concern over the low turnout of citizens in the ongoing continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise and called for intensified mobilisation by stakeholders to reverse the trend.
The Commissioner for Information, Ahmed Maiyaki, spoke on Thursday in Kaduna during a stakeholders’ meeting convened to review the ongoing exercise and strategise on improved citizen participation.
Mr Maiyaki said Governor Uba Sani had directed relevant agencies to take pragmatic steps to mobilise eligible voters, describing the governor as a democratic leader committed to inclusive governance.
He stated that preliminary figures from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that Kaduna State and other parts of the North-West were recording low registration numbers, a development that had attracted the attention of the federal government.
“The meeting was expanded to include local government chairmen, traditional and religious leaders, and the media because of their critical roles in grassroots mobilisation,” the commissioner said.
He emphasised that the campaign was non-partisan, aimed at encouraging youths, women, the elderly, and other demographic groups to participate actively in the democratic process.
Mr Maiyaki commended the council chairmen who had initiated sensitisation campaigns and described the meeting as a platform for sharing experiences and harmonised planning to boost turnout.
He explained that the engagement was structured in two phases—an initial session with the media to build momentum, followed by a technical session with council officials to coordinate grassroots strategies.
The commissioner also acknowledged the presence of the Kaduna council chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), AbdulGafar Alabelewe, and stated that media involvement was critical to voter education and mobilisation.
Speaking after the meeting, the vice chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Kaduna State, Dauda Madaki, said council chairmen would approach the exercise with a competitive spirit.
Mr Madaki said ALGON would collaborate with the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Youth to enhance the success of the campaign, noting that updated voter data was essential for both electoral and government planning purposes.
He also appealed to INEC to address logistical challenges in high-population LGAs such as Chikun, Igabi, Zangon Kataf, and Sabon Gari, some of which have only two voter registration machines.
Mr Madaki called for the deployment of at least 10 machines per LGA in such areas to ensure wider coverage.
(NAN)
