It is a well-known fact that the present government of Zamfara State, under the leadership of Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle, inherited a myriad of security issues challenges orchestrated by a raging armed banditry that, hitherto, rendered government business virtually comatose.
Consequently, the state and federal governments had to decisively collaborate on the crucial imperative of combating with the menace which, over the last ten years, claed hundreds of lives, displaced hundreds of thousands from their ancestral homes and crushed the economy of the Farming-Is-Our-Pride state to a very inconsequential level.
The historic collaboration of the two governments with the instrument of the selfless security agencies and the local vigilante across the state, engineered by the unprecedented commitment of Governor Matawalle, has now doused the raging banditry to a level that guarantees the return and resettlement of the hitherto-displaced hundreds of thousands to their ancestral homes.
To facilitate and accelerate their safe resettlement to pick their pieces and rebuild their lives back to the glorious past, the state government has ensured that it is always forthcoming in the supply of reliefs items to ameliorate their resettlement difficulties.
This is how peace and security are restored in 13 of the 14 local government areas of the state to a level that guarantees the revival of all hitherto-suspended government projects and programmes in the resettled communities according to the social, political and economic circumstances of the country.
One of such political programmes is the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which was suspended in 13 of the 14 local government areas due to the insecurity.
All is now set for the CVR to resume in the 13 local government areas to ensure that all eligible voters there obtain their voters card to enable them exercise their franchise in the 2023 elections.
Speaking recently at a political stakeholders meeting in his office, the state’s INEC Commissioner, Prof. Sa’idu Ahmad Babura, who expressed his INEC’s readiness to resume the CVR across those local government areas, said the Commission has softened the exercise by introducing online registration which leaders to the physical capture of the registrants.
He lamented that there are 258,931 eligible persons in the state who did the online registration but many of them are yet to appear for the physical capture that will earn them their voters cards.
Prof Babura lamented further that only 14 persons with disability have been captured on the resumed exercise, complaining also that about 45,000 uncollected voters cards are lying in INEC offices across the state.
This situation became a serious source of worry for the All Progressives Congress APC in the state which was represented at the stakeholders meeting by Secretary of the Party, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Dangaladima, Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris Gusau, and Assistant Welfare Secretary, Alhaji Shehu J Mohammed.
While commending the effort of the federal and state governments as well as the security agencies for the gradual return of peace in the state, coupled with the bold steps being taken by INEC to resume CVR in all the 14 LGAs, the APC informed the meeting of the APC’s push on all eligible citizens in the state to ensure that their PVCs are in their possession before the commencement of the elections as the only way to ensure the emergence of good leaders who will continue to provide dividends of democracy to them.
The call by the APC on eligible voters to get their PVCs has been roundly responded to by many APC volunteer groups in the state, with a large number of women involvement, some of whom have taken the challange upon themselves to embark on house-to-house sensitizing of citizens on the importance of obtaining the PVC and how to use it wisely at the polls.
It is, therefore, instructive to note that the Matawalle-led administration in Zamfara has done its part to establish an enabling environment to its citizens to have the freedom and the zeal to come together and do what is right as the nation moves towards yet another election season under a successive democratic setting.
With the special prayers being offered regularly by all well meaning citizens of the state, which are now yieldeding positive results, the APC expressed confidence that the state will reclaim its status of being most peaceful and fast growing in the country.
We specially salute our gallant security agencies who sacrifice their lives in the defence of the country with the full support of President Muhammadu Buhari and the constant patriotic efforts of Governor Matawalle.
Yusuf Idris Gusau is the Publicity Secretary of Zamfara State APC
