By Efosa Hutson/Goodluck Ikiebe.
The Polling Unit Ambassadors of Nigeria (PUAN) in a quest to create a balance in Nigeria’s electoral system, has organized a conference towards changing the narrative in the electoral process.
The conference is also aimed at creating pathway in educating the populace, those who are eligible to vote, on how they can effectively exercise their franchise and make it count.
The Ambassador General of Polling Units Ambassador of Nigeria, PUAN, Capt. Suleiman Dabas, disclosed to newsmen in Abuja that the Nigerian electoral system need to change the narrative, stating that there is a need to do things the right way, which can also bring the Nigeria Democratic system to its right path, which is one of the organization’s main objective, that is to ensure that every electorate becomes the ultimate decider of every democratic election in the country.
According to Capt. Dabas, “For us to succeed in this, we need to educate the electorate at the polling unit community, telling them how to vote and vote the right way, what we are doing here today, is called PUAN annual leadership event, as leadership is very key to what ever we do, so we are bringing people together so that they can learn for this leadership style we are coming out with.
“This Program has started since yesterday, the first day was a training for our ambassadors, who came all over Nigeria and they converge here at this point let me also tell you that PUAN are volunteers, who paid transportation to and fro as well as their accommodation and their feeding.
The Captain also disclosed that the Nigerian electoral situation right now, needs people who can show commitment and be passionate in what they are doing because they believe that Nigeria can actually change.
He noted that the program, played host to foreign observers from the European Union, US, UK, the Canadian embassy and the INEC Chairman.
While linking the event to the Anambra state governorship polls, Dabas said Ambassadors will be sent to Anambra for election observation.
In his words “Observation is one of the key thing that PUAN started in 2018, to ensure that every election done in every polling unit community should be transmitted electronically, if we want to curtail the system of rigging and electoral malpractice, then we must come to transmitting our result and electoral process from the polling unit community directly, electronically, to a sever which is of course what PUAN is doing.
“Even this election, we are going to Anambra state, we have mobilized our Ambassadors in all the 36 six states of the federation including the FCT to be in Anambra, so two Ambassadors, are sent from each state to Anambra to monitor the election”
“INEC has accredited 100 Ambassadors of PUAN and we have 50 in Anambra state and we have 5 Ambassadors in every polling unit and we will be capturing and transmitting our results directly from the polling unit so the election result can’t be manipulated because we will capture the real thing, our polling unit Ambassadors are not going to another polling unit to vote they are residence of the polling unit so they do everything at that polling unit with the collaboration of other non indigenous Ambassadors from other states”, he said.
Dabas, who also noted that PUAN, which is an accredited organization has maintained a very good relationship with INEC, Security agencies and other foreign body, admonished the Ambassadors to be vigilant while discharging their duties.
He also advised the good people of Anambra state to come out enmass and cast their votes, while they are doing that, they should be law abiding in other to allow a smooth electoral process to take place in the state.
