By Grace Dalla, Abuja
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Chief Ayuba Gufwan, has assured that the voting rights and civic participation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) will be safeguarded in all future elections.
He gave this assurance during a live interview at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, where a situation room was established to monitor the level of participation of PWDs in their respective electoral units. The situation room also tracked the level of inclusivity of PWDs in the electoral process.
The situation room was created in collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) National Deputy Commander and Disability Desk Officer, Mrs. Patience O. Andepu, and her team. Some team members were deployed to Edo, Sokoto, and Kwara states to share updates with the situation room regarding how inclusive the election was, and to report challenges faced by PWDs at their polling units.
In Edo State, reports from Mrs. Obot and Mrs. Gbadamosi, gathered in the situation room, indicated that election materials arrived at Erobota around 9:42 am. While other polling units in the area had commenced accreditation, only one person with a disability was present at that time.
Similarly, at Goroti polling unit and Uhunmwode Ward, Unit 54, Upper Sakpoba Road, Benin City, as well as other units like Ward 4, Unit Sec 3 in Esan Epoma West, and Ukoni Ward 7 polling units 6 & 9, no PWDs were present at that moment. However, in other areas, such as Otaru polling unit in Edo North, Etsako Ward 4 polling units 3, 4 & 8, and Oredo Ward polling units 1-7, PWDs turned out to vote. In Esan West, Ward 9, polling units 5, 6, 7 & 8, voter turnout was affected by rain, preventing some PWDs from casting their votes at the time.
In Kwara State, reports from Mrs. Gbadamosi and others in the situation room showed that elections at some polling units began at 9:36 am. At Ojomu Central A Ward, Unit 6, persons with disabilities came out to vote, as did PWDs at Ilorin East, Gambari Ward 7, and Alanamu Ward 1, polling unit 001. However, the election in Kwara was temporarily halted due to violent tensions in some areas.
From Sokoto State, Mrs. Kaka reported that only one party, APC, was available to vote for, which led to a low turnout from residents due to the nature of the election process. Consequently, no reports were made regarding the participation of PWDs.
Mrs. Patience O. Andepu, the NSCDC National Deputy Commander on the Disability Desk, recommended greater inclusivity and accessibility in future elections. She noted that the recently concluded elections in Edo, Kwara, and Sokoto were not fully inclusive for PWDs due to the lack of magnifying glasses, Braille materials, accessible polling units, and interpreters at various voting locations.