On Monday, the Edo headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) urged young women to vote more actively in the state’s governorship election on September 21.
At a one-day awareness-raising event in Benin, state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Dr. Anugbum Onuoha urged young women to vote in the election.
As the commission’s ambassadors, Mr. Onuoha argued, they were important stakeholders who were to urge their friends, parents, and acquittance to abstain from violence and refrain from buying or selling votes.
Additionally, he asked them to educate the public about the need of supporting candidates who they believed could advance the state’s growth.
“You are all young girls, and I would advise you to always have an active conscience. You sell your future when you sell your votes.
Let’s hold an election that we can refer to as our own. an election that will represent the people’s collective will.
“Let there be a free election, and people will conclude that it was fair and free.”
“Let the majority of people say that this election was free and fair, even though the losers will always complain,” he remarked.
He said that you should represent INEC as you travel to your different locations and spread this message to every corner of the state.
“That no one should use money to buy people’s consciences, and that there should be no vote buying in the upcoming election,” he continued.
Nonetheless, Mr. Onuoha gave his word that INEC will carry out the election in accordance with the goals and objectives of its mandate, which is to hold free, fair, and credible elections.
Prior to this, information from Victoria Eta-Messi, INEC’s director of gender relations, indicated that more men than women cast ballots in the general election of 2023.
She pointed out that discriminatory cultural practices, institutional impediments, and restrictive laws frequently resulted in young female voters being marginalized in the political arena.
She said that the purpose of this awareness campaign was to make sure people knew their rights and the influence their votes may have.
