Osun governorship election: NGO urges special treatment for PWDs

A non-governmental organisation, Able2Vote, has warned against discrimination against persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the August 15 governorship election in Osun state.

The group began sensitisation and mobilisation of PWDs to participate in the election, urging people to treat them with respect.

Speaking at a community mobilisation outreach for PWDs in Osogbo, Thursday, Assistant Programme Manager, George Dominic Anwayi, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide necessary tools that will making voting easy for the PWDs.

Anwayi said PWDs are citizens and should be included in the electoral process, warning that excluding them would leave out a significant population in Nigeria.

He said Able2Vote has been engaging INEC to ensure the election process is inclusive, and that the current outreach is aimed at grassroots sensitisation, especially in hard-to-reach areas, so PWDs understand their rights, the need to participate, and the provisions INEC has made to support their voting, including being prioritised during elections and avoiding the need to join the queue.

He said: “We believe that Persons with Disabilities are equally citizens like every other person, and our democracy recognises Persons with Disabilities because they are also human beings, they are also citizens.

“If you leave that population, which is over 30 million Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria, you run the risk of excluding a very large number of persons, and so we believe that the participation of Persons with Disabilities in the electoral process is very key,” Anwayi added.

Stephen Idowu, chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities in Osun, commended Able2Vote/TAFAfrica for voter education.

He appealed to INEC to provide necessary voting tools for PWDs and to ensure priority on Election Day, so PWDs can vote first and leave on time