The Red Card Movement: Group advocates full political participation

Spurred by an unprecedented sense of urgency, a fresh voice has been added to rallying the country’s electorate to redeem the political process and propagate a culture of accountability by actively participating in the upcoming 2015 general elections. 

The Red Card Movement, a youth-centric campaign which advocates civic responsibility in innovative and creative ways, is asking Nigerians to use their vote as a“red card” to banish bad leaders from the polity.

“The concept and imagery of the Red Card Movement is borrowed from the game of football. Just as a referee holds out a red card to dismiss players from the pitch for bad behavior, the voters’ card imbues voters with the power to remove bad leaders from office,” says Jade Oshikoya, the group’s team coordinator.

“We challenge the apathetic to take control of Nigeria’s future. We believe it is important to be deliberate about leadership, so young people need to realisethat they cannot continue to shun political engagement. It is imperative thatthey realize how powerful their vote is,” she adds.

Imoh Eboh, team member, Red Card Movement, says they believe this might be themost important election of all time for Nigeria, so they feel compelled toadvocate for issues-based electioneering. “Nigerians should no longerallow their vision to be clouded by sentiments that only stunt development,” Ebohobserves.

The Red Card Movement, which is deliberately non-partisan in its approach, beganby engaging the Nigerian youth in political discourse via social media. Themovement has advocated civic duty and promotes good governance throughtweet-chats on Twitter and a series of workshops for students.

The movement is a campaign to assert the power of citizens in an unusual,non-preachy, edgy manner. It seeks to bring civic duty into the realm of popculture like fashion, music and the arts, with the aim to deliver a cool, freshand unforgettable campaign while advocating for participation. 

Beyond elections, the movement promises it will continue to boost a culture of accountability across all tiers of government in Nigeria via its online platform. 

For information and inquiries visit - theredcardmovement.com