By Rotimi Ojomoyela
ADO-EKITI — A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and member of the President Bola Tinubu/APC 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, Engineer Atinuke Owolabi, has expressed concern over the low voter turnout in Aramoko-Ekiti during the 2023 presidential election, saying about 73 per cent of registered voters in the community did not participate.
Owolabi, who is also the convener of PBAT-MOB Aramoko Community Engagement, spoke during an APC voter education exercise and community engagement in Aramoko, Ekiti Central Senatorial District, over the weekend.
The programme, organised in support of the re-election bids of President Tinubu and Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, was held under the theme, “My Vote, My Voice”.
She also represents the South-West as a member of the North Central Development Commission.
Owolabi said voter education was essential to strengthening democracy, particularly in rural communities where inadequate information about electoral procedures could discourage participation or lead to invalid votes.
Presenting figures from the 2023 presidential election, she said Ekiti State had 988,923 registered voters, out of whom 315,058 were accredited, while 308,171 valid votes were recorded and 6,301 ballots were rejected.
She said available ward-level records for Aramoko I and Aramoko II showed a combined 17,426 registered voters, compared with 4,680 votes reportedly cast during the presidential election.
According to her, the figures indicated that approximately 12,746 registered voters did not participate, representing about 73 per cent of the electorate in the two wards.
She urged residents to improve their participation in future elections, stressing the need for the community to translate its voting strength into meaningful democratic engagement.
Owolabi said the exercise was designed to educate residents on voting procedures, encourage participation and reduce the number of rejected ballots.
The programme also featured the unveiling of a voter education handbook intended to guide residents on electoral processes, identification of polling units and the proper use of their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
She said: “I believe voter education is key. If we cannot completely eliminate rejected votes, we should at least be able to reduce them in Ekiti State, particularly in Aramoko, my community.
“We are here to sensitise our people on the correct way to vote. When they go to the polling units, they must ensure that they vote correctly.
“We have the population, and we have the voters. What is really lacking is adequate information. Our people need to understand the right way to vote.
“Today, we have unveiled a voter education handbook, which is a welcome development. Through this handbook, our people will be taught what elections are all about. They will understand how to identify their polling units and how to participate in the electoral process.”
She also urged residents to consider the 2023 election figures as a basis for improving participation in subsequent elections.
Meanwhile, the Regent of Aramoko-Ekiti, Princess Owolabi Adeyemi, acknowledged the efforts of President Tinubu and Bamidele in grassroots development.
She, however, appealed to the Federal Government to address the deplorable condition of roads in the community to ease the difficulties faced by residents and commuters.
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