A Catholic priest, Rev.
Fr. Dr. Emeka Ngwoke, Wednesday, cautioned Nigerians against voter apathy.
According to him, politics negatively never yielded any positive results.
Fr. Ngwoke, who is the
head of the public enlightenment desk of the Justice Development and Peace/Caritas
Commission (JDPC), Nsukka Diocese, spoke in Enugu during enlightenment ahead
of the 2023 elections. He said the only way to find lasting solutions to the
myriads of problems in Nigeria is for all to be actively involved in politics
through voting and public enlightenment.
He said, “Politics can
make a difference absolutely. We live in groups, and group decisions must be
taken. They are taken, whether you were there or not. There is this equality in
democracy; that is why it is one man, one vote.”
According to him, it is against this background that the Catholic Diocese of
Nsukka is organizing town hall meetings for political office-seekers.
“Political enlightenment
in the diocese is a big business. It is civic education. A populace that is
ignorant about how a society function is dormant. It’s a pity some of us wear
the barge of political apathy as honour. Some are even educated.
“They know the problems of our society, but do
nothing to solve them. If you want things to improve, take an active interest in
governance. The idea is to aggregate the views of the people to guide those
getting into elective offices so that their decisions and policies will be
reflective of the needs of the people. Enlightenment is very important.
“Hearing the voice of
the church will reduce the gap between the government and the governed, he
said.”
He said the candidates
for various offices are expected to feature ‘without their supporters and not
in proxy’, adding that ‘respect for the voters requires that these candidates
show up.
On the alleged collation
of PVCs and data of their owners, including bank accounts, by politicians, Dr.
Ngwoke said, “Your PVC is your right to have your interest taken into
consideration. When you sell your PVC or give out the codes, you are simply
saying that your interest can be ignored. It will certainly be ignored.
“Your most treasured
possession in a democracy is the right to vote. Politicians are afraid of the
votes. When votes are cast against them, they are in danger. But when they are
cast in their favour, they are happy. It means a politician will do anything to
get access to that vote.
“Any group of people
that do not want to be sidelined actively must be politically active. The
opportunities come once in four years to make inputs in public decisions.”
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