With one week to the Edo governorship poll, Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the state have continued to make case for Disability Rights with a call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to ensure that the votes of the disability community count, MICHAEL EGBEJULE reports.

Social inclusion and the protection of rights of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) have become a cardinal point in the evaluation of governments and its institutions all over the world. International conventions frown at state parties that do not emplace mechanics for the inclusion of all segments of its population in civic activities, including elections.

Here in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has continued to assure the public of the protection of the voting rights of persons with disabilities in compliance with Article 29 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (UNDCRPD).

Speaking earlier in the year at a session organised by the Policy and Advocacy Centre (PLAC), in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation in Abuja, INEC’s Director of Gender and Inclusivity, Lukonaya Bello, said the commission has made provisions for materials meant to help PWDs during elections.

As the Edo State governorship election holds next Saturday, INEC has also assured that all necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure that people with disabilities are not disenfranchised in the election.

On their part, members of the disabilities community in Edo State are not leaving any stone unturned to ensure that all persons with disabilities are able to vote and also have access to the programmes of the various candidates and their political parties to enable them make informed decisions on polling day.

Available records show that the voting population among persons with disabilities is a little over 12,000 votes. This is more than the voting population of some local government areas in the state. One interesting thing about their votes is that the leadership of the various clusters of people with disabilities are mobilising all their members who are registered voters to vote on election day. Their umbrella body is also organising an interface with the governorship candidates to enable their members to make their choice.

The chairperson of Joint Action of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPD), Miss Ann Ujugo, who confirmed this, enumerated the expectations of persons with disabilities from the electoral umpire.

“My expectations first start with INEC preparedness. We had a meeting with INEC a few days ago, and they assured us that the election will be all inclusive with an enabling environment for persons with disabilities to come out to cast their votes. They said they have all the gadgets, assisting devices that will aid persons with disabilities to vote, like the magnifying lens for people with albinism, then the ballot boxes are not going to be placed on top of tables or where people with disabilities cannot cast their votes; they have the Braille ballot paper for persons with visual impairment to vote and there will be a sign post guide that they have made for persons with disabilities to vote. So, we are expecting that all these will be in place,” she said.

PWDs in the state have also called on the security agencies to prioritise their safety by ensuring that they are not subjected to any form of violence or intimidation during the election.

They also demanded that INEC should ensure priority voting is made available to them to vote upon immediate arrival at the polling units.

Executive Director, Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), Grace Jerry, made the call on Friday during a press briefing in Benin organised by the Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) titled, ‘A Call for Inclusive, Safe, Accessible and Effective Deployment of Assistive Materials for the Edo State Gubernatorial Election’.

Jerry stressed the need for adequate security for PWDs, alleging that the political gladiators were spoiling for war before, during and after the governorship election. She harped on the need for security agencies to be trained on how to interface with PWDs, while also urging the INEC to ensure that PWDs are attended to first at the polling units as stipulated in the Electoral Act.

According to Jerry, there was a need for increased synergy between the INEC and the security agencies.

She stated that IFA remains committed to advocating for an inclusive, free, fair and credible election in Edo State.

“We stand with the PWD community and all citizens in ensuring that their voices are heard and respected in the democratic process.

“We call on all persons with disabilities to come out in large numbers to vote for the candidate of their choice. Their participation is essential to advancing initiatives that elevate the PWD community. We urge everyone to maintain peace and refrain from any form of vote-buying or vote-selling, as these are crimes punishable by law.

“Ballot boxes should be positioned where it is easily accessible to voters with disabilities to allow them to independently cast their ballots.”

“INEC should continue to engage and consult with the community of persons with disability, IFA, and other organisations of persons with disabilities to identify areas to be improved for more inclusive and accessible electoral processes,” Jerry said.

PWDs in the state equally appealed to the broadcast media to make use of sign language interpreters during the collation of results collation, noting that it will allow deaf voters to follow the process.