Awka – The People’s Democratic Party, PDP on Tuesday, launched its e-registration portal as well as its Continuous Voter Registration, CVR drive across the 326 Wards in Anambra State.
The online portal which is being test-run in Anambra for the first time, can be accessed on ‘www.iampdp.com’ and enables existing and new members to register with the party and also perform other functions under the ongoing CVR activity of the INEC, from the comfort of their homes.
The launch of the exercise attracted Governors Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo state and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, key national officers of the party, members of the Anambra State House of Assembly, among other key stakeholders.
Launching the exercise in Awka, Governor Obaseki, who is also the Chairman of the PDP e-registration Committee, explained that the PDP through the initiative is supporting efforts at entrenching electronic transmission of results and eliminating electoral malpractices.
He said the structure of the PDP rests on the Wards and the exercise aims to rebuild its structure at the Wards and Polling Units levels.
“This e-registration that we are launching will be driven by the Wards. This is where our leaders have to show their capacity. You cannot claim to be a stakeholder and you don’t have followers. It is my believe that if all stakeholders mobilize effectively for this exercise, PDP would have had a strong grassroots base,” he said.
Obaseki said with the innovation brought into the electoral system by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, supported by the initiative of the PDP, it will be very difficult to rig elections unlike before when he said, election results were rewritten at the collation centres.
According to him, that is why the PDP needs more members in the Wards to drive the electronic registration and results transmission process and bring rogue politicians to check.
In their remarks, the Governors of Oyo, Seyi Makinde and his Abia counterpart, Okezie Ikpeazu said what PDP intends with the initiative, was to show Nigerians the way to go politically, urging party members to be confident and work hard for the victory of the party in the November governorship election.
A two-time governor of Anambra State and leader of the PDP in Anambra, Mr Peter Obi said the PDP governors across the country are making the people proud and there is the need for Anambra to become a PDP state to join the rest of the states to engender the desired change in the country.
Obi maintained that the PDP is ready to take over Anambra state and once again, avail the citizens, dividends of democracy.
“We are prepared for this election and anything anybody is coming with, we are prepared to meet them at that juncture. We will undertake an issue-based campaign because we have a candidate who can deliver and we will surely deliver on the promises. If I am not convinced that Ozigbo will perform, I wouldn’t have joined him,” he said.
For the Chairman, PDP Campaign Council in the state, Senator Uche Ekwunife, the launch of e-registration exercise must energize mobilization of PDP members at the polling units level.
According to her, the party members must unite to forge a common front with which to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance in the state.
In his remarks, the PDP candidate for the Anambra Governorship election, Mr Valentine Ozigbo commended the PDP for once again setting the pace in best global practices in politics with the initiative.
Ozigbo, a business leader said the initiative has shown PDP as a viable alternative for correcting the rot in the nation’s political system, and expressed delight that the people are seeing the difference.
“What the PDP has done so far is to reposition the party for greatness and it has shown clearly that we are on the right track. Anambra people are going to vote for PDP because they have seen the genuineness of our vision and the commitment we have exhibited, to make our state better,” he enthused.
Ozigbo assured that he will deploy every resource available to him, to lead the campaign for the PDP takeover of the state, promising a people-oriented government when elected into office.
