By Douglas Okoro
Abakaliki – A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi, Chief Austine Edeeze, has warned the electorate against selling their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), irrespective of the circumstance.
Edeeze, national member of Board of Trustees (BoT) of APC, gave the warning in his new year message to the people of the state on Tuesday in Abakaliki.
He said that 2019 as an election year was crucial and critical to the democratic evolution of the country and cautioned the electorate against indulging in practices that could subvert the 2019 general elections in Ebonyi.
According to Edeeze, a former APC gubernatorial aspirant for the 2019 governorship ticket in Ebonyi,PVC is an indispensible weapon available to the electorate to choose, wisely, political leaders at the ballot.
He explained that the power to elect and to change any bad government was in the PVC and advised voters to resist attempt by desperate politicians to lure them into exchanging their voter cards for cash or material gifts.
He said:”The decision that will affect our lives and the future of our children, and those yet unborn are being taken now by the means of our PVCs.
”When you compromise or sell your PVCs, you have not just compromised your own present position, you have also compromised your own future and the future of your children.
”And so, it is not just as simple as selling your PVC. You are not selling a PVC, you are selling your future
“My advice to such electorate is to be informed that the power to elect, change and reposition is in that PVC, if rightly used.”
The chieftain,therefore, urged the electorate to use their PVCs, wisely, to elect the right persons into authority.
”We have always failed as electorate to realise the enormity of constitutional powers at the disposal of elected leaders and hence, often make mistakes in choosing the right kind of leaders.
”If we realise that those we entrust with power have the constitutional mandate to even administer our own lives, we will exercise our voting franchise wisely.”
Edeeze who paid special tribute to members and supporters of the party in the state, expressedconfidence that APC would come out victorious in the general elections.
Edeeze, who is also the Chairman of Governing Board of the Federal College of Education, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, called for sustained unity in the party at it moves closer to 2019.
”The level we are as APC in the state, we are very ready to take over the leadership but we must remain strong and united to achieve this.
”Just like the symbol of APC, broom is tied together as a bundle and bundle of that broom signifies strength.
”Until we are tied together in spirit and in body as the broom which is our symbol is tied, we may not be able to make it.
” But if we are united, we are going to make it and I am very hopeful that we are going to win.”
He further appealed to Nigerians across social and political divides to continue in their support for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to continur deliver dividends of democracy to the people. (NAN)