TAF Africa, a non-profit organisation, has expressed concern over the safety of Persons With Disabilities (PWD) in Bayelsa as final arrangements are being made for the Nov. 11 governorship election in the state.

The people of Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo are set to go to the polls on Saturday, Nov. 11, for the off-cycle elections.

Jake Epelle, the chief executive officer/founder of TAF Africa and Convener, Disability Inclusion Nigeria, expressed the group’s concern while speaking with journalists in Yenagoa on Friday.

Mr Epelle said that TAF Africa, along with the European Union (EU) observer group, had deployed observers to the three states to monitor the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) level of compliance with the provision of assistive tools for PWDs as mandated by the Electoral Act.

He said that the teams are ready to meticulously monitor the elections, with a primary focus on how the process affects the disability community.

Mr Epelle, represented by the TAF Africa team leader to Bayelsa, Muyiwa Aderibigbe, urged security agencies to deploy adequate personnel to polling units to protect voters from violence.

The TAF founder, who also spoke on behalf of the EU observer group, urged the police to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of electoral violence to demonstrate the law enforcement agencies’ commitment to a violence-free electoral process.

He said, “We are committed to ensuring the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the electoral process.

“To this end, we are deploying a team of well-trained observers to polling units with registered persons with disabilities in the three states.

“The observers will closely monitor INEC’s level of compliance in the provision of assistive tools for persons with disabilities as mandated by the Electoral Act.

“These tools include the availability of Braille Ballot guide for the blind, magnifying glasses for persons with albinism, election day written instruction for the deaf ballot guide, as well as access to priority voting and other necessary accommodations.”

He said a PWD election hub had been established in the three states, where information received from observers would be aggregated and analysed in real-time.

He explained that “the information would be displayed on our PWD election monitoring dashboard, accessible to the public, stakeholders and relevant authorities.

“Regarding the participation of people with disabilities in the impending off-cycle elections, we are extremely concerned about the security situation.

“Election-related violence has a history in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi. The community of persons with disabilities might be discouraged from voting if the situation is unstable.

“INEC should ensure proper coordination with security agencies to forestall incidences of violence and ensure the safety of voters and poll officials on election day.

“The 2022 Electoral Act stipulates that every person with disability is entitled to priority voting,” he said.

(NAN)