2019: NOA educates Jigawa electorate on proper voting

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says it plans to educate the electorate in Jigawa on proper voting to prevent invalid votes during the 2019 general election.

NOA Jigawa operations officer, Alhaji Abdul-Hafizu Mohammed, disclosed this at a sensitisation programme in Guri Local Government Area (LGA) of the state on Monday.

He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had nullified many votes in previous election as a result wrong voting.

“Millions of votes are wasted due to incorrect voting in our election, this is a matter of concern to NOA and every well-meaning Nigerian.

“To vote correctly, you must ensure that your fingerprint appears within the column of the political party of your choice on the ballot paper.

“The danger is that if your fingerprint appears outside the column, it might render your vote invalid,” Mohammed said.

He said that voting error is mostly caused by negligence and lack of concentration among the electorate.

“Voting is an all important exercise that determines your future and the future of your children.

“Therefore, it is extremely important to take your time and cast your vote for competent candidates when you hit the polling unit in February 2019.

“It is disheartening to see millions of votes that are supposed to be used in electing credible candidates being wasted every election year,” he said.

Also speaking, the state NOA Director, Alhaji Shuaibu Haruna, cautioned politicians and their supporters against hate speech.

“The hate speech phenomenon is now taking a dangerous dimension which if not properly checked, will pose a threat to peaceful conduct of the election.

“Denigrating any individual or group, through social or conventional media, does not only violate our laws but also go against the teachings of our religion.

“We must conduct our political activities with high sense of responsibility and avoid statements and utterances capable of causing chaos and violence,” he said.

Haruna said similar sensitisation programme would hold in Miga and Ringim LGAs of the state.

In his remarks, the LGA Chairman, Alhaji Borkono Jaji-Adiyani, commended NOA for organising the programme ahead of the poll.

Represented by Usman Maidashi, the Counselor for Education, Jaji-Adiyani urged residents of the area to always vote for candidates that have the interest of the people at heart.