TAF Africa, the All-Rights Foundation, has underscored the need to intensify efforts to mobilise Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in underserved communities for inclusive electoral participation and voter registration.
The Assistant Programme Manager, TAF Africa, Mr George Anwayi, said this during TAF Africa Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) mobilisation exercise for PWDs at the disability camp in Alheri Village,Yangoji, Kwali Area Council, FCT on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that TAF Africa is a leading disability inclusion organisation working to promote the rights, inclusion, and participation of persons with disabilities in Nigeria and across Africa.
According to him, the organisation took the exercise to the grassroots to ensure that PWDs in hard to reach communities were not left out of the ongoing CVR.
“At TAF Africa, we believe that persons with disabilities are equally citizens. They are citizens like every other person so they should not be excluded from the scheme of things.
“And of course, we believe that the over 30 million persons with disabilities in Nigeria is a large population that we cannot neglect or ignore.
“We want persons with disabilities to also have a say in terms of who becomes the president of Nigeria. And they cannot do that without registering as voters to cast their vote, that is why we are here,” he said.
Anwayi said that TAF Africa was in Yangoji Village to ensure that PWDs in the community had the opportunity to register and vote during elections.
He explained that TAF Africa was targeting 100 PWDs per location, adding that they had earlier conducted a similar exercise at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Kaduna in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said the exercise enabled participants to register as new voters, transfer their polling units and apply for replacement of lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Anwayi said the exercise in Kwali was also being conducted in collaboration with INEC, which deployed officials and registration equipment to facilitate the process.
He said that TAF Africa cannot reach every PWD across the country directly, hence the need to rely on the media to spread the campaign and encourage eligible PWDs nationwide.
He urged eligible voters to visit registration centres before the deadline for the ongoing voter registration exercise.
“We are using this opportunity to sensitise persons with disabilities across Nigeria to take advantage of the ongoing voter registration because registration is closing this month.
“They have the right to participate in the electoral process and everything has been put in place to ensure that they can register and vote,” he said.
He said the organisation also raised awareness on the provisions of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018 and relevant sections of the Electoral Act that guarantee the participation of PWDs in elections.
“We advocate for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in every sector and of course we also advocate for their rights and their dignity.
“Persons with disabilities are human beings like every other person. They have their rights, they have their dignity and that must be protected.
“Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Act 2018 is a law that protects persons with disabilities. So, their rights and dignity must be protected as well,” he said.
He said the organisation sensitised not only PWDs but also the entire population to know that PWDs were human beings like every other person and should not be discriminated against or stigmatised
Anwayi commended INEC for its sustained commitment to disability inclusion, describing the commission as a reliable partner in promoting accessible elections.
He said that the commission had continued to provide assistive materials, including Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses and large-print graphic posters, to enable PWDs, including those with visual and learning impairments, to participate effectively in elections.
He added that the collaboration between TAF Africa and INEC had contributed significantly to improving electoral participation and accessibility for PWDs in Nigeria.
Similarly, the Assistant Director, Gender and Inclusivity Department, INEC, Mrs Perpetual Nwanna said that the initiative was aimed at promoting an inclusive electoral process.
Nwanna said this could be done by carrying along PWDs, vulnerable persons and others facing barriers to voter registration.
She said the organisations took the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise directly to the grassroots to enable persons who could not easily access registration centres to register as voters.
She commended TAF Africa for supporting the initiative, describing the organisation as a reliable partner in advancing the rights and political participation of PWDs.
According to her, the outreach will ensure that eligible PWDs are captured in the voter register and given the opportunity to participate in future elections.
Nwanna expressed optimism that the exercise would encourage greater participation of PWDs in the country’s democratic process.
