The Accord Party in Oyo State has urged members of the public to exercise their civic right by trooping out en masse to vote during the 2015 general elections.

The position was taken by the party at a public lecture organised by the Accord Youth Volunteer Network to mark 2014 Democracy Day, where a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Dr. Adenike Ogunshe, delivered a lecture titled, ‘Franchise and Voting: Road to 2015 Elections,” in Ibadan.

The party warned members of the public not to abdicate their right to effect a change of political leadership through voting, agreeing that the non-performance of the current crop of elected politicians was disheartening.

It stated that voters should not stay away from voting in the 2015 elections due to the failure of elected public officers to fulfill the promises contained in their manifestos.

Ogunshe called on Nigerians not to allow the failure of the present political leaders to discourage them from taking part in the next general elections, saying that a survey carried out in Oyo State had shown that 90 per cent of the people that were questioned were unwilling to vote because of the inability of elected officials to keep the promises they made before elections.

The party warned that those who did not merit public positions would seize them if the electorates refused to elect credible people due to their loss of confidence in the voting process.

She said, “People should be careful not to fall for party manifestoes any longer as they are easily forgotten by those who promised them as soon as they get to power. Despite all the challenges, voting still remains the only acceptable means of electing officials in a democratic system and if the educated ones refuse to vote during elections, misfits will determine the electoral future for them after which it will be too late to make amends.”

A legal practitioner, Jide Olanipekun, who spoke on the role of Nigerian youths in a challenging nation, said politicians have always used the youths for their own selfish interest without thinking of the future of the country.

Olanipekun identified bad governance, corruption, economic related problems, insecurity, terrorism, unemployment, poverty, crime, lack of social amenities and political instability as some of the challenges facing Nigeria as a nation.

He, however, called on the youth to rise above their present position by getting involved in decision-making processes capable of solving the nation’s problems.

(PUNCH)