January 9 Collective (J9C), a non-religious, non- partisan, socio-political organisation, has launched an innovative campaign to galvanise Nigerians to pick up their Permanent Voter Card (PVC) as well as go the extra mile to cast their votes.
In a release signed by its Captain, Mr. Seun Soyinka, the body said it decided to embark on this enlightenment drive to engage Nigerians on the importance of voting in the quest for good governance.
J9C, he noted, “will use the few weeks left before the March 28th and April 11th elections to interact with Nigerians of all walks of life and speak against apathy in the political process.”
He stated further that the campaign will deploy traditional and social media platforms using the hashtag #pickyourpvc&vote.
In addition, he said the group will also use the opportunity to urge Nigerians to shun violence in view of the spate of politically-motivated attacks that have already been witnessed in parts of the country.
According to him” At J9C we believe the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. The importance and urgency of this step cannot be overemphasized, as without it, not much can be achieved. To move forward or bring change to Nigeria as a country we must exercise our inalienable right to vote. By voting it means that we have decided to take our destiny in our own hands and choose those whom we feel will deliver the democracy dividends and developmental growth that we so desire.”
Mr. Soyinka stated that the election postponement has now become a blessing in disguise as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has recently declared that nationwide it had hit a 78 per cent collection mark, he however urged the commission to double its effort especially in states where the rate of collection has remained poor.
Made up of young and dynamic professionals, the J9C was formed on January 9 2012 in the wake of the anti-fuel price hike protests (Occupy Nigeria) all over the country. The members decided to form a socio-political association of friends and young professionals that would use the anniversary of that momentous occurrence in 2012 to draw attention to issues of urgent national importance and encourage good governance in our polity.
