By Raji Adebayo
Scores of persons with disabilities in Oyo State have declared to support only the political party and candidate that recognises them in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
They made this declaration during a rally to create awareness among persons with disabilities towards the preparation for the forthcoming general elections.
Persons with disabilities include people in wheelchairs, people with hearing impairment, people with vision impairment, people with spinal cord injury, people with physical disabilities and persons with Albinism.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that over one billion people live with disabilities across the globe and It has also been revealed that about 25 million people live with disabilities in Nigeria.
Scores of persons with disabilities across the 33 local government areas in the state have however vowed that they will only vote political party or candidate that recognises them in 2023 in the state.
They made these declarations during the rally tagged “Effective mobilisation strategies and participation of persons living with disabilities at the grassroot for 2023 general elections” held in some parts of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
The rally was organised by the Coalition of like-minded people with disabilities in Oyo state chapter.
President of the coalition, Mr Chukwuma Ibeh who spoke during the rally lamented that persons with disabilities have been neglected by political officeholders over the years, despite the fact that about 2.5 million people live with disabilities in the state.
He however said that only politicians that recognise them would have their support during the next elections in the state.
Ibeh noted that politicians in the state have over the years abandoned them thinking that they were few.
He however said that the population of PWDs in the state which is about 2.5 million is not a small population.
“We organised this rally to let members of the public especially people in Oyo state know the existence of persons with disabilities. Politicians look at the population of persons with disabilities with a minor figure.
“But, we want the politicians to know that we are many. We have the power to vote in and vote out someone.
“We have a lot of roles to play in the 2023 elections. We have gone to obtain our PVCs.
“So, any political party or candidate that recognises persons with disabilities will be voted for in 2023. When we have a population of 2.5 million people, it is not a small population.
“We are ready to vote for a political party or candidate that recognises us in 2023”.
