Port Harcourt – A Port Harcourt-based public affairs analyst, Dr Festus Gibson, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take measures to minimise voter apathy in the forthcoming general elections.
Gibson told newsmen in Port Harcourt, River State that voter apathy had been a problem in previous electoral processes in the country.
He called on INEC to ensure that anything that could give rise to low voter turnout and voter apathy in the general elections was averted.
He said that the commission should provide an enabling environment for every voter to cast his or her vote during the elections.
Gibson also advised the electoral body to make adequate security arrangement to ensure that voters and voting centres were protected.
He charged the commission to work hard and ensure that anything that might create delay or hitch during voting was eliminated.
According to him, INEC should collaborate with all the security agencies to fight hooliganism, snatching of ballot boxes and ballot papers as well as other anti-social behaviours.
The commission, he said, should also ensure that the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) issued to the electorate were used for the purpose they were issued.
Gibson cautioned that the essence of the PVCs to the electorate and the electoral process should not be defeated.