Should we ignore 30 million undelivered PVCs?

Why should 30 million eligible voters be left in the dark about the possibility of collecting their permanent voters’ cards? Why should eligible voters be punished on account of INEC’s sluggish response to critical national assignment? Are 30 million undelivered voters’ cards not an issue of public significance and concern? And finally, must election be […]

Why should 30 million eligible voters be left in the dark about the possibility of collecting their permanent voters’ cards? Why should eligible voters be punished on account of INEC’s sluggish response to critical national assignment? Are 30 million undelivered voters’ cards not an issue of public significance and concern? And finally, must election be held at all costs even if INEC fails to meet its obligations to deliver these cards?
My problem with Nigerians is that we are so averse to reason that we prefer to do stupid things than reflect rationally on important public policy issues. No right thinking person should dismiss the dangers of denying 30 million eligible voters access to their cards. Why must INEC punish innocent eligible voters? This was not the first time INEC created such a huge mess. This issue is not about PDP or APC; it is about a reality we cannot simply ignore. Why with less than two weeks to election, 30 million voters’ cards are not readily available?
When the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, raised alarm that going ahead with the February 14 election with 30 million eligible voters unsure about collecting their permanent voters’ cards is a bad omen for democracy, we descended on the man and called him names. In the cacophony of the angry voices that greeted Dasuki’s well-meaning observations, few Nigerians bothered to ponder over the hidden implications of the sense he was trying to make. Instead of thinking and reasoning over the substance of his observation,  we were insulting the man and that he was doing so because he wants to retain his job. What kind of ridiculous logic is this?
While we were busy insulting the National Security Adviser, let us pause and ask: has INEC made these 30 million voters’ cards available to the eligible voters as yet? If it has not, then why? Between the time Dasuki spoke and now, INEC should have debunked his fears by making these 30 million voters’ cards available. Right now they are not available. By what magic would INEC make these cards available with less than two weeks to election? If INEC cares so much about its reputation, let it produce these cards urgently.
Nigerians must learn to face the truth. We cannot achieve national debate over issues of public importance when sentiments are allowed to defeat reason. Disenfranchising 30 million eligible voters is indefensible under any circumstances. Dasuki is not the issue. INEC is the issue. We should not allow INEC the opportunity to continue to churn out excuses for its failures to deliver. The electoral body had enough time and resources to conduct successful voter registration. And if it has failed to make 30 million PVCs available to eligible voters, our focus should not be on the National Security Adviser, but on INEC.
Soba can be reached at [email protected]