By Vincent Ujumadu

THE candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in last year’s governorship election in Anambra State, Mr. Val Ozigbo has lamented the staggering number of uncollected Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, across the country, advising Nigerian youths to be in the forefront in determining the direction to follow by ensuring that most people possess their voters cards for next year’s election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said recently that there were no fewer than 20 million uncollected PVCs across the country.

In a statement yesterday, Ozigbo described next year’s election as crucial to Nigeria, adding that the youths must get involved in taking charge of the direction the country would go in the next four years.

He said: “The number of uncollected PVCs is alarming. We need to intensify the drive to collect our PVCs and educate our people on the importance of their votes.

“We all need to be ready and prepared to boldly exercise our franchise and elect a leader who has the most answers to our seemingly intractable problems.

“The next government will be inheriting a devasted country – a deeply divided and plundered Nigeria – with a limping and shrinking economy and a wave of terrorism never before experienced.

“We need to elect a president and other leaders who have the capacity, the presence of mind, and the character to unify us and put in the work to solve Nigeria’s mountain of problems.

“The truth of the matter is that we have to be thoughtful about our choices and stay engaged with the process all the way to Election Day, holding our politicians to a high standard of accountability and responsibility.

“Insecurity is now the hottest topic in the Nigerian media. So many Nigerians – in the North and South – are experiencing the dysfunction in our politics firsthand. They live under a cloud of the constant threat to their lives and properties, particularly in the South East of Nigeria, where the Igbo nation is living under the siege of insecurities carried out by kidnappers, robbers, and gunmen”.

He, however, expressed happiness that Nigerian youths  were becoming more aware going by their engagement with the political process.