During the ongoing Edo governorship election on Saturday, some Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Oredo Local Government Area (LGA) encountered difficulties locating their polling units.
A correspondent from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) observed the situation at two wards in the LGA, where four voters using wheelchairs struggled to find their designated polling units.
NAN reported that the affected PWDs and their aides were unable to speak or understand English or Pidgin, leaving them confused and stranded at incorrect polling stations. They relied solely on their voter cards, which helped officials redirect them to the appropriate units.
At George Idah Primary School in Oredo Ward 2, which accommodates units 2, 4, 5, 34, and 39, a voter in a wheelchair was found but was supposed to cast their vote at a different location outside the school.
Similarly, another PWD who could not communicate in English was discovered at Ward 4, Unit 19, Emokpia Primary School, though her voter card indicated she was assigned to vote at Idia College.
Ann Ojogu, Chairperson of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) in Edo State, expressed disappointment over the challenges faced by PWDs during the election. She highlighted the lack of voter education in local dialects as a major obstacle.
Ojogu noted that the association had hoped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would conduct voter education campaigns for PWDs in various local languages. She further explained that JONAPWD was unable to provide voter sensitization in local dialects due to financial constraints.
“Funding challenges prevented us from reaching different clusters of PWDs across the state to offer voter education in local dialects,” she stated.
(Vanguard)
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