Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi has declared May 2 and May 3 as public holidays in Ebonyi to enable eligible voters to participate in the Continuous Voter Registration.
Umahi made the declaration in Abakaliki on Thursday, when he swore in members of the State Law Review Committee, State and Local Government Area Pension Board.
The governor also received a briefing from the new state leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
He said that workers on essential services such as banks and health facilities were exempted from the holidays.
“We want to take the CVR and 2018 census exercises seriously and commence immediate preparations for them. We have made it clear that we would negotiate with any aspirant for the 2019 presidency who will ensure the enhancement of Ebonyi people’s wellbeing.
“We cannot achieve this objective if we don’t record high votes,’’ he said.
The governor said that the state deputy governor would liaise with members of the state executive council, house of assembly, local government chairmen, to ensure the success of the exercise.
“They will formulate modalities for the composition of relevant committees that will ensure the success of the exercise, in order to achieve our objectives,” Umahi said.
In a related development, the governor also assured politicians in the state that the government had no intention of hijacking activities of the state’s branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
Umahi made the disclosure when the new CAN Chairman in the state and his Senior Special Adviser on Religious and Welfare Matters, Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali, briefed him on the association’s present status.
According to Umahi, the government’s involvement in resolving the crisis that bedevilled the association does not entail hijack of its activities.
“I thank the bishops, spiritual fathers and advisers who gave me the respect of participating in the peace process and whenever God wants to do something great, the devil will always find a way of thwarting it.
“There is no way the government will hijack CAN, because it is a strong institution just like the judiciary, among others, which cannot be forced to act against its wish or stipulated norms.
“The politicians who are afraid of hijack should, however, know that if God who brought us to power has not left us, CAN, the church among other institutions will still be for us,” he said.
