By Princess-Ekwi Ajide -Abuja
The National Leader of Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs), of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Honourable. Tolu Bankole has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure PWDs are included especially on election day.
Hon. Bankole commended INEC for the Voter Education and Sensitization Training for Visually Impaired Voters on the use of Braille Ballots ahead of Osun 2022 election and noted that the Commission must allay the fears of PWDs from the noticable flaws in the recently held Ekiti election.
According to him, for an election to be adjudged free, fair, and all-inclusive, the process and procedure of such election must be well understood by the electorate irrespective of their status and as such, Persons with Disabilities with their huge numbers in the election cannot just be counted, but must count on election day.
Honourable Bankole, highlighted some issues that must be urgently addressed to guarantee the active inclusion of the disability community in the electoral process to include: Absence of braille easy language, sign language interpreters at polling centres; disregard for the electoral guidelines which guarantees a dedicated queue for PWDs at voting points; restriction of vehicular movements on election day among others.
Others are: inadequate information to equip PWDs vote independently or with little assistance; improper sensitization on the correct way of thumb printing and dedicated polling units; low participation of PWDs and absence of PWDs voting materials in most polling units.
The APC PWDs leader, charged the election umpire to justify the inclusion of the persons living with disability in the Electoral Act by improving on the noticable flaws in Ekiti gubernatorial election.
He enjoined all eligible PWDs voters in all the 30 LGAs of Osun state to come out enmass and vote on the election day without fear of molestation and harassment from any quarter.
Bankole, emphasised that the Electoral Bill signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on February 25, 2022 has paved the way for all Persons Living With Disabilities to be incorporated into the electoral process and the Osun State Governorship election is another opportunity to enable their voices be heard by voting for one who is a friend of Persons Living with Disabilities from his many health, education, economic and social programs and interventions.
