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From Magnus Eze, Enugu
The Labour Party (LP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to consider a one week nationwide holiday for students in tertiary institutions.
This, according to the party, is to enable the students to travel back to locations where they registered during the eight-month ASUU strike and collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) from their point of registration.
National Vice Chairman of the LP in South East, Chief Innocent Okeke, made the demand in a statement yesterday.
He said: “One would recall that the unholy eight months of the faceoff between the Federal Government and ASUU which saw our youths staying at home, was when voter’s registration was going on, and the youths who were home leveraged that opportunity to register at various registration centres.
“Now, the students are back to school and many far from their homes and therefore are busy and engaged to meet with their academic losses and INEC is insisting on the January 22, 2023 deadline for the collection of the PVC.
“The question, therefore is, what happens to the students that registered and are now in school and this constitutes the larger chunk of voters and are not able to leave school to make the collection date?
“The school academic system has already been injured. It will be wise for INEC, ASUU and other relevant bodies to declare one week compulsory holiday for students to go home and collect their PVCs and also the same holiday on the week of the election, so that they will be part for this needed change.”
Emphasizing that the future of the country lies with the youth, so, they must be encouraged, including making necessary sacrifices for them to actively participate in the election.
Continuing, Okeke said: “The bulk of the PVCs lying uncollected are that of the students who registered while at home during eight unproductive months of the strike. I also urge INEC to extend the deadline for PVC collection to a week before the deadline.
“Nigeria has a history to make and everyone should be encouraged to take part in this history making. While admitting that INEC is doing their best in handing over the most credible elections to Nigeria and condemning every act of distraction and harassment on the INEC Chairman, Mahmud, and his commissioners, I ask INEC to keep listening to the voice of the masses and conduct credible elections.”
