The Bauchi State Government has raised concern over what it described as persistently low voter turnout in the state, revealing that less than 50 per cent of registered voters usually participate in elections.

The Commissioner for Information, Usman Usman Shehu, disclosed this at a one-day sensitisation workshop for Local Government Information Officers on the ongoing voter registration exercise, held at the DEC Conference Centre in Bauchi on Tuesday.

Shehu lamented that despite being one of the most populous states in Nigeria, Bauchi continues to record poor electoral participation.

He said the workshop was designed to reverse the trend by strengthening grassroots sensitisation and mobilising eligible citizens to register and actively participate in elections.

The event was organised in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission and the National Orientation Agency.

According to him, voter registration empowers citizens to become bona fide stakeholders in governance, stressing that without registration and possession of a voter card, citizens cannot participate in the electoral process.

The commissioner charged the information officers to serve as “foot soldiers” of mobilisation, particularly in remote communities where awareness may be low.

He further urged participants to pay close attention to INEC officials present at the workshop to ensure accurate dissemination of information at the grassroots.

New Telegraph reports that at the end of the training, Information Officers from the 20 local government area councils expressed appreciation and pledged to step down the training in their respective communities with a view to sensitising citizens on their voting rights.