NGO mobilises PWDs, lepers for voter registration in FCT community

A non-governmental organisation (NGO), TAF Africa, in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has commenced the mobilisation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Kwali Area Council of the FCT to participate in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

Speaking during the CVR exercise at Alheri village in Yangoji, Kwali Area Council, on Thursday, the Assistant Programme Manager of TAF Africa, George Dominic Anwayi, said the organisation, in partnership with INEC, decided to mobilise lepers and other persons with disabilities to participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise to enable them vote in the 2027 general elections.

He said the organisation believes that persons with disabilities and lepers are citizens like every other Nigerian and should not be disenfranchised from participating in the electoral process.

According to him, with more than 30 million people living with disabilities in Nigeria, the group cannot be ignored.

He said TAF Africa deemed it necessary to collaborate with INEC to mobilise persons with disabilities and lepers to ensure they participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise in the FCT.

“It is on that basis that we decided to come down to the grassroots and mobilise persons with disabilities and lepers to ensure they participate in the ongoing INEC voter registration exercise so they can obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participate in the 2027 general elections,” he said.

According to him, TAF Africa has also carried out similar mobilisation in two locations, including an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Kaduna State, where persons with disabilities were assisted to register and obtain their voter registration slips.

“So, to crown it all, we are here to say that people with disabilities also have the right to participate in the electoral process. Everything has been put in place to ensure their participation, and they can also visit any registration centre to register because the exercise will end this month,” he added.

Also speaking, the Assistant Director, Gender and Inclusivity Department at the INEC headquarters, Nwanna Perpetual Ezinwa, said the commission partnered with TAF Africa to take the registration exercise to the community in order to ensure that persons with disabilities, vulnerable groups and lepers are registered ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“The last time we came here, we sensitised persons with disabilities and lepers on the registration process so they could become part and parcel of the electoral process. TAF Africa has been a wonderful partner by providing this platform for us to ensure these vulnerable persons are registered,” she said.

Abuja Metro reports that many persons with disabilities, including lepers, mostly women, turned out for the exercise as INEC officials captured their fingerprints and personal details using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

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