THE Director General of Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organisation and Plateau State Governor, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, CON, has called on APC Polling Agents to put their eagle eyes on every vote cast to ensure victory for the party at presidential level down to the State Houses of Assembly level.
He made the call recently while delivering keynote remark at the Train-The Trainers Workshop for APC Polling Agents across the country held at Rainbow Event Marquee Garki Area 8 Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The DG said, “as part of the critical engagements, we met yesterday with all the APC candidates and discussed the challenges and opportunities for our party in the elections. A lot of their submissions bothered on the roles that you as Polling Agents are expected to play before, during and after the elections.
“The Nigerian electorate are dynamic and continuously getting sophisticated in their thinking, composition and actions based on evolving realities and issues of the day. Only recently, INEC told us that about 12.3 million new voters registered and are now eligible to vote for the first time. This means that we have to take them into consideration as we plan to canvass for their votes and ensure that they choose the APC on election day.
“Besides, the 2022 Electoral Act which will be used for the elections is not the same as what was used in the 2019 general elections. Therefore, we cannot assume that what we knew about election four years ago will be sufficient for us to properly maximize our potentials in the forthcoming elections. Apart from getting familiar with the BIVAS technology, you have to also be well-informed on the new guidelines that relate to transmission of results among others.
“That is why we have convened this Train-the-Trainer exercise which gives us an opportunity to first appreciate you as our Polling Agents for the roles you have been playing in mobilizing for the party across the country and also defending the interests of our candidates.
“While you get this knowledge from the trainers today, I want you to know that you are the foot soldiers of the party on election day and will be required to keep an eye on every vote and also ensure that the APC and all of its candidates are not shortchanged. We shall be relying on you to be on ground and ensure that every guideline is followed during the exercise”, he enthused.
Lalong further explained that it was difficult for them to bring all their agents for this training at once. That was why they had selected them so that they could get the knowledge and cascade it down to the grassroots when they return home preparatory to general elections.
He, therefore, appealed to members of this great party to remain steadfast and shun any action that could draw back the fortunes of the party saying, “already, we have received overwhelming support from Nigerians in all the states we have visited and others we are yet to visit.
“Asiwaju and Shettima as well as our candidates for Governors, Senate, House of Representatives and State Assemblies are clearly on the lead. We have to push to the end. I want to assure you that the PCC and the party leadership is doing everything possible to ensure that you are adequately mobilised and enabled to carry out this sensitive assignment without difficulties”.
