- Female and male persons with disabilities from the 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Anambra State are being trained as election observers
- The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) undertakes this program, in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID)/UKAID, to ensure full involvement and participation of people with disabilities in the election process.
- The project is targeted at making sure that polling units and ballot boxes are accessible for PWDs
- Measures and exercises are developed in response to the yearnings of the community of the disabled and other stakeholders for full political and civic participation of people with disabilities.
AHEAD OF NOVEMBER 18, 2017 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has trained female and male persons with disabilities from the 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Anambra State as election observers. The training is part of the activities for the implementation of our project on Campaign for Equal Voting Access for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
The Executive Director of CCD, David Anyaele who spoke at a workshop organized in Awka the Anambra State Chapter to train PWDs as election observers, stated that the goal of the project which is supported by the Department for International Development (DFID)/UKAID is to ensure the full participation of PWDs in electioneering processes on equal basis with others.
The executive director also stressed that the project is also targeted at ensuring that polling units and ballot boxes are accessible for PWDs; it also advocates for- the use of sign language interpreters during all civic and voter education messaging on television; the use of braille IECs for civic and voter education at all levels and; an improvement in the capacity of election officials to assist PWDs to vote on Election Day.
While flagging off the event, the Permanent Secretary, Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mr. Azuka Ofomata, commended CCD for choosing Anambra State as a pivot state for its Project on the Campaign for Equal Voting Access for Persons with Disabilities and encouraged the participants to be attentive during the training as well as exercise their franchise on election day.
On his part, the Anambra State Chairman of Joint Association of Persons with Disabilities, Lawrence Nwanolue, rated the training high and expressed hope that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, would provide a level playing ground for Persons with Disabilities to participate in the election.
Another participant at the training who is a physically challenged and the Secretary of Anambra State Chapter of JONAPWD, Ugochukwu Okeke, also described the training as timely, saying it met the expectations of PWDs and hoped for the full participation of Persons with disabilities at the upcoming election.
In their own contribution, the Publicity Secretary of JONAPWD, Anambra State Chapter, Okoromaduka Joy and the vice Chairman of JONAPWD, Polycarp Udeagu,, reiterated the need for INEC to ensure that polling units are accessible to PWDs as well the need for the electoral body to ensure that the interests of all clusters like provision of sign language interpreters for the deaf, printing of IEC materials in braille for the blind and provision of magnifying lens for the albinos are met during the election.