CONTINUOUS 2025 VOTER’S REGISTRATION: YOUR VOTE, YOUR VOICE

Anthony EKPO BASSEY

“A journey of a thousand miles” they say, “begins with a single step” and for our democracy, that first step is the voters’ register. As the 2025 Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) kicks off, the ball is now in the court of every eligible Nigerian especially, those who have recently turned 18, those whose voter cards are damaged or lost, and those who never registered at all. This is your call to action. You snooze, you lose.

In a country where the political climate often stirs more heat than light, many have grown weary. The burning question on the lips of the average citizen is: Will our votes even count in 2027? It is a fair concern, and no one can blame a man bitten twice for being shy the third time. But here is the truth: If we all throw in the towel, who will hold the fort? Democracy may have its cracks, but abandoning it altogether is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

To the young people stepping into the world of civic responsibility for the first time: This is your season. While others may say, politics is a dirty game, remember that if you do not take a seat at the table, you might end up on the menu. The power to shape the future lies not only in protest or hashtags but in the quiet, firm act of registering and showing up on election day. Change is not an event. It is a process, and every name on the register is a brick in the house we are building.

To those who have lost or damaged their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), this is not the time to fold your arms. Every excuse is the nail in the coffin of progress. The registration centres are open and the doors are not closed. Whether you lost it in a move, had it stolen, or watched it weather away with time, the system is giving you a second bite at the cherry. Make hay while the sun shines.

And to those who have never registered, perhaps out of indifference, frustration, or fear, hear this: you cannot reap where you did not sow. Not participating might seem like an act of rebellion, but in truth, it is handing the wheel to someone else to drive your future. He who does not speak lets others write his story. Silence, in times like this, is not neutrality; it is surrender.

Yes, the system is not perfect. Yes, there have been flaws, delays, and doubts. But Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a strong democracy. By registering, you are not only preparing to vote, you are making a statement: I am here. I count. My voice matters.

Sceptics will always ask, what is the point? But remember, the darkest hour is just before dawn. If the past has taught us anything, it is that when enough people show up, things begin to shift. It may be slow, it may be subtle, but it begins. And if we do not start now, then when the music changes, we will still be dancing to the old tune.

So let us not wait until the eleventh hour. Let us not wake up in 2027 only to say, had I known. The registration is now. The future is ours. And though the road may be long, a river cuts through rock not by power, but by persistence.

Let’s take that step. Let’s make it count. Because, in the end, the pen is in your hand, write your own chapter.