A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the All Rights Foundation Africa, otherwise known as TAF Africa, on Tuesday, in Onitsha, Anambra’s commercial city, flagged off its sensitisation campaign for the inclusion of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and other vulnerable persons in the electoral process.
The campaign comes as the state gears up for its November 8 gubernatorial election. The group believes that the inclusion of PWDs in all electoral processes remains critical to the exercise’s success.
The campaign was kicked off during a one-day sensitisation programme tagged, “ABLE2VOTE-Voter Education Campaign to Reduce Voter Apathy and Promote the Mainstreaming of PWDs in the electoral process,” organized in Onitsha, under the banner of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Anambra State Chapter.
Speaking at the event, the senior communication officer of TAF Africa, Lynn Agwuncha, said the sensitization programme, which was for Anambra North Senatorial District, also took place in Awka (Anambra Central Senatorial District) and Nnewi (Anambra South Senatorial District).
She said the sensitization campaign aims to boost the morale of PWDs and other vulnerable persons in the state so that they can participate actively in the voting process without fear of stigmatization, harassment, and intimidation.
According to her, “Our mission is to boost the morale of the PWDs and other vulnerable persons in the state for them to have the confidence to exercise their franchise freely during the voting proper and not to campaign in support of any political party.”
Agwuncha appealed to all the participating political parties and their candidates to also include Persons With Disabilities in their election campaigns.
In her remark, the Anambra State Resident Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu, while commending the group for organizing the programme, said the Commission under her watch has prepared to provide adequate arrangements for the participation of PWDs in the electoral process.
According to Mrs Agwu, who was represented by the Commission’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs Ugonma Julianna, the commission shall take reasonable steps to ensure that persons with disabilities, special needs and vulnerable persons are assisted at the polling units by providing suitable means of communication such as braille, large embossed print, electronic devices, sign language interpration or off-site voting, where necessary.
“We will also ensure that the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise is made accessible to the PWDs,” she promised.
The group’s Senior Programme Officer, George Anwayi, himself a PWD, lamented that with more than 30 million PWDs in Nigeria, and with 65 percent of the figure of voting age, the majority of them have been subjected to abuse, stigma, prejudice, and discrimination, many times from a young age.
According to him, the purpose of the programme was “To sensitize Persons with Disabilities on their rights and need to participate in the electoral process and to advocate for deliberate action towards enhancing their inclusion in elections to achieve a strengthened democratic process at the Grassroots in Anambra State.”
