The Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) and National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) have launched the VOTE-ability campaign, an initiative that seeks to increase the participation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) Exercise.
This was made known in press conference organized on Thursday in Abuja.
The Grace Jerry, the Executive Director of IFA, in her speech during launch of the campaign said that the essence of the campaign is to encourage and provide a platform for all PWD clusters that are eligible to vote but have yet to register in the CVR as focal beneficiaries.
Jerry noted that “through a community-based approach, the campaign will mobilize and target Special schools and local community centers to set up registration booths.”
“The CVR Centers will include:
1. Pilot Primary school Wuse Zone 5
2. Abuja School for the Deaf, Kuje
3. Bilmor Technical and Vocational Centre, Gudu
4. Govt Girls Secondary school Dutsen Alhaji-Bwari
5. Disability colony, Kalamajiji6. Junior secondary school, Gwagwalada
She disclosed the campaign is aimed at increasing PWDs registration in the CVR exercise from present 75,422 to 1 million before the close of the registration exercise on 31st July, 2022.
“According to INEC 4th quarter week 13 CVR report, a cumulative data of registrants had completed their registrations out of which 3,357,188 were done through online, while 6,782,059 were done via physical registration. Out of this data, 5,022,392 of the registrants that completed their registrations were males; while 5,116,855 were females and 75,422 were Persons With Disabilities”.
She thereafter appealed to citizens with disabilities to take the opportunity to register to get their PVC at any of the registration centers that would be set up.
The Executive Secretary of the NCPWD, Mr. James Lalu corroborated that the commitment of the disability commission is to ensure that PWDs who own their Permanent Voters’ card yield to million before the end of the registration exercise.
She thereafter appealed to citizens with disabilities to take the opportunity to register to get their PVC at any of the registration centers that would be set up.
The Executive Secretary of the NCPWD, Mr. James Lalu corroborated that the commitment of the disability commission is to ensure that PWDs who own their Permanent Voters’ card yield to million before the end of the registration exercise.
Lalu added that “as a commission, we are putting our heads together with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in one voice to make sure we make the necessary impact in the 2023 general election.”
He noted that the campaign is sending a message to all politicians and candidates to begin to consider PWDs as valuable individuals in their community, adding that, “No PWD will use their PVC to vote for any political party that does not provide the proper inclusion of PWDs in their system.”
He appealed to the media to continue to provide a necessary voice on behalf of the disability community to whoever would hear and to amplify the rights of PWDs everywhere
