Anidy Esiet,, Calabar
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bassey Otu has attributed the low turn out of voters at the just concluded governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state to poor internal democracy in the political parties.
Otu who spoke with some newsmen in his country home, Adiabo Okurikang after voting in Efut Ward, Odukpani Local Government Area said, “the votes apathy, some stems from the fact that internal democracy in parties in some cases were tidy and where party allow the will of the people to prevail, people will be more comfortable to vote and will come out to vote. and if I emerge as the winner, internal democracy will be number one to make such that the true will of the people prevails” .
However in his community, he said, “here, I think that more voters have come out actually than the exercise that was done last week and the only area some people are complaining are especially in the Akpabuyo and Bakassi area. The issue we have in Bakassi where Nigerians have been declared refugees in their own country because their land was ceded and handed out illegally, people are scattered all over and because they’re registered in Bakassi there’s need for them to come from their different locations to go and exercise their franchise.
“We were told that this people were blocked by the military. I’ve not got the current situation there but I want to believe they are allowed to go and vote” .
On the burning down of some vehicles in Okoyong, Odukpani council, Otu condemned it saying, “For me, I believe that election should not come with destruction, I believe that election should be very peaceful.
“If you look at the whole of this area, the orderliness is something that even we are shocked in that event that took place. I want to believe that it’s under investigations and they will know exactly what to do. So I will not say anything on that except that I will condemn the act of violence but in terms of the road leading to here, the perception is going to change there’s no doubt about that, definitely not just here but Cross River as a whole” .
On BIVAS, he said, “I have full confidence on the BVAS. If you want to look at the election INEC have been conducting over the years, right from 1999 till date, even at bye election, you’ll see that somehow they’ll up their game. People must not forget where we are coming from and the type of greed that has been injected into the politics.
” The fact that our economy is very bad and people are looking at election probably as the only way out,as a result of that it becomes a total war and at times INEC is at the receiving end. INEC must also be given benefit of doubt to continue to make sure that they perfect all their arrangements. There were issues with the BVAS but I don’t think that those issues should be key issues in giving judgement that BVAS is not working.
” I want to believe that INEC will continue to scale up with technology and everything to ensure that BVAS will deliver to the benefit of Nigerians.
I don’t think there’s a lot of challenge with the BVAS, I went there was no delay, I was captured and the tick came out and I voted so I believe that moving forward they’ll continue to make sure that things are added that will make it completely fine”.
