This Wednesday in Lagos, hundreds came to pick up their voter cards before the elections. The deadline is set for January 22 and in December, the electoral commission announced that about 6 million Nigerians had not yet collected their cards which will allow them to vote in particular in the next presidential election scheduled for the end of February.
“I came to pick up my voter’s card because I have to be a real patriot, because frankly over the years we haven’t been very efficient in our voting, which has had negative consequences on our society. And, today, we really have to make all the necessary efforts to decide who will be the ones who will lead our country”, explains Odwin Anamechere, entrepreneur.
However, some voters have expressed their dissatisfaction with the sometimes approximate management of the Electoral Commission regarding the distribution of these cards.
“I came here after receiving an e-mail and an SMS from the Electoral Commission asking me to come and collect my card. Once I got here, I waited in line for two hours. When my turn came, they looked for my card and told me they didn’t have it.” says Damilola Adelowo, a lawyer.
“The electoral commission did not print it, it forgot. I asked them what I should do. They asked me to leave my contact details for them to call me back. There is nothing else to do. I think it’s unfair and I’m not the only person this has happened to here today,” said the same lawyer mentioned before.
On February 25, voters choose the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, who cannot stand again after two terms and a record deemed catastrophic by many Nigerians.