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A non governmental organisation, the All-Rights Foundation, TAF Africa, has charged operatives of the Anambra Police Command and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, to enforce the rights of People With Disabilities, PWDs during elections.
At a two-day workshop called for the collaboration of security operatives who will be working during the November 8 governorship election in Anambra, to ensure that PWDs vote with ease, Senior Communications Officer of TAF Africa, Lynn Agwuncha said it was a right and not pity to accord PWDs the opportunity to vote with ease.
While presenting a paper, Agwuncha said, “We as Nigerians are usually compassionate and most times during elections, we see people who out of compassion would let PWDs vote before them, because they pity their condition.
Continuing, “But I want to tell you today that even though that is good, PWDs should not get that out of pity but because it is their right. Section 54 of the electoral act makes it a right for People With Disabilities to be attended to outside the queue, so it is not about pity but about a place of right.
“They should enjoy priority voting and go home. They arrive the voting centre, walk up to the poll officials and introduce themselves, and they are allowed to vote and go home.
“We have cases where security operatives have stopped a person with disability from driving into the polling centre, knowing full well that they can not walk without such aid. That is why we are holding this workshop, so that you, as security agents will know that it is the right of those PWDs.
Southeastposts reports that operatives of the police, NSCDC including their heads, and heads of disability clusters, led by Chairman of Joint National Association of People With Disabilities (JONAPWD), Mr Ugochukwu Okeke were all in attendance.
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