Abba Isa, Ayuba Gufwan, Bankole and Misbau Lawal Didi get roles in campaign mobilisation structure
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed four prominent figures from the disability community to its campaign council, with a mandate to mobilise Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The appointments bring together government officials and disability leaders with different experiences and responsibilities within the disability community and the APC structure.
Among those appointed is Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, who will serve as Director of PWD Mobilisation.
Also appointed is Hon. Chief Barr. Ayuba Burki Gufwan, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), who will serve as Deputy Director of PWD Mobilisation.
The campaign council also includes Hon. Bankole, the APC Disabled Leader at the APC National Working Committee (NWC), and Misbau Lawal Didi, a former APC Disabled Leader.
A strategic move to reach millions of PWDs
The appointments are seen as an attempt by the ruling party to strengthen its engagement with the disability community and create a dedicated structure for mobilising PWDs ahead of the forthcoming political contest.
With persons with disabilities representing a significant voting population in Nigeria, disability advocates have consistently called on political parties to move beyond symbolic representation and develop concrete strategies for engaging PWDs in political processes.
The inclusion of four disability-focused figures in the campaign structure could therefore provide the APC with direct access to disability organisations, community leaders and voters with disabilities across the country.
Beyond mobilisation
While the immediate responsibility of the appointees is political mobilisation, their appointments also raise expectations within the disability community about the place of disability issues in the political agenda.
Disability rights advocates will be watching closely to see whether the campaign structure translates mobilisation into meaningful commitments on accessibility, inclusive education, employment, social protection, healthcare, assistive technology and political participation.
For the APC, the challenge will be to ensure that the engagement with PWDs goes beyond campaign-season mobilisation and develops into sustained political inclusion.
