By Chigozie Uzosike
As the 2023 general election draws near, a Civil Society Organization, Community and Youth Development Initiative (CYDI) has called on citizens to actively participate in the electoral process to ensure transparency and accountability in the process.
Speaking to newsmen in Owerri, the Executive Director of CYDI, Felxfame Enisire noted that there’s need for citizens to come out in their numbers and vote the candidates of their choice, adding that when all the eligible voters participate, then they will decide who governs their communities. He urged everyone to join the campaign by encouraging all the registered voters in their community to collect their PVC and be ready to vote.
Enisire posited that the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is funding Community and Youth Development Initiatives (CYDI), to implement the project “Supporting Electoral Accountability & Transparency (SEAT)” in the Southeast, particularly in Imo State and Enugu State.
According to him, the project is aimed at improving the participation of citizens in the electoral process in the south-eastern part of Nigeria by undertaking a massive democratic education approach and leveraging on innovative technology in the local dialect (Igbo) and sign Langauge. Using a web-based platform, https://ochichi.ng, that will address the challenges faced by youth, women, and people living with disabilities (PWDs) in preparing for the elections and postelection activities by acting as a major ally for knowledge diffusion, providing high-quality content, and creating significant experience that makes learning about politics and voting easier and more interesting.
He called on citizens to visit the Igbo website to learn about the electoral process, especially since the information is also available in Igbo language. He hinted that nobody should underestimate the power of one vote, as according to him, it could be the game changer in the transparency and accountability process of governance.
