August 15 Poll: Group Mobilises Osun Rural PWDs, Urges INEC To Fix Priority Voting Gap

A disability inclusion organisation, TAFAfrica, had appealed to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Osun State to turn out en masse and vote in the August 15 governorship election.

The organisation made the appeal on Monday at its Able2Vote Community Outreach held at the PWDs secretariat in Ede.

Speaking during the outreach, the Assistant Program Manager of TAFAfrica, George Anwayi, said the programme is to engage PWDs on their right to participate in the electoral process.

He also encouraged PWDs
who have their Permanent Voter Cards but have never voted to come out, assuring them of adequate security on election day.

Anwayi stressed that non-participation in the electoral process may affect the disability community in terms of representation.

He said, “TAFAfrica is an organisation that advocates and pushes for the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities.

“We are in Ede today for our Able to Vote community outreach. TAFAfrica has been engaging in voter education for persons with disabilities all over Nigeria. We have been doing this for a while now.

“And then of course, we create that awareness among them in terms of the provision of the law for their participation in the electoral process and all of that. They need this information; they need these messages more than even those in the cities.”

“Those who have not voted before need to know that they are the reason why leaders of their choice may not get to win. If you don’t come out to vote, you are invariably saying let another person who is not your choice be voted into office.

“They must come and make their choice. Choose leaders who will cater for their needs, their interests and their welfare,” he added.

Anwayi expressed optimism that the outreach will lead to a massive turnout of Persons with Disabilities on election day.

Speaking further, Anwayi commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the steps taken to include PWDs, including the provision of Braille Ballot Guides, magnifying glasses, large font posters for persons with hearing impairment, and priority voting on election day.

However, he said feedback from beneficiaries shows gaps in implementation.

“Some of them complain about not being accorded priority voting during election. Some have also complained about not being given form EC40H on election day. I call on INEC to look at that distribution strategy to ensure that these materials reach the people who are in need of them,” he said.

In his remarks, PWDs coordinator for Ede Zone, Comrade Adeyemi Alapa, lauded TAFAfrica for the programme, urging the beneficiaries to fully participate in the forthcoming election.

He said, “I want to appreciate TAFAfrica for this great opportunity. They have been able to enlighten us on the need for us to participate in the August 15 gubernatorial election.

“I want our members to fully participate in this coming election coming up on August 15. We should come out and vote for who we want in Osun,” Alapa noted.