The European Union (EU) has partnered with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to host the second edition of ‘Youth Votes Count’, a free music concert to encourage more youths to register and vote in the 2023 general elections.
Speaking in Lagos during a press conference, EU’s Project Programme Manager in Nigeria, Mrs Olaolu Olawunmi, said the concert would take place at the Tafawa Balewa Square on Saturday, June 11, by 10am and the only gate pass needed is the Personal Voter’s Card, PVC, or Temporary Voter’s Card, TVC.
Olawunmi said: “The ‘Youth Vote Count’ initiative a non partisan campaign funded by the EU that was launched in 2018 with the sole objective of getting young people to participate more in the electoral process.
“The population of young people in this country is huge but that has not translated to an effective participation in the electoral process. The reason people don’t want to engage is because they don’t believe that the system would work for them. They don’t believe that their votes would influence the kind of leaders that will emerge at the end of the day.
“Even if you decide not to engage, it is a decision that would affect the political process, so why not lend your voice? This is the message that the Youth Vote Count is trying to pass across.”
In his remarks, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Lagos State, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, urged youths to get their PVCs, saying the commission is working hard to ensure that all votes count.
He reminded Nigerians that the Continuous Voters Registration would end on June 30 and that the commission has no intention of extending the date.
He said that to make the process easier, the commission brought 50 capturing machines from Abuja and added more polling units to Lagos.
Some of the artists, expected are Kizz Daniel who will headline the show, MI, Teni the Entertainer, Tubaba, Falz, Patoranking, Mayorkun, Omawunmi and actors like Chioma Chukwuka, Mr. Macaroni etc.
