By Angela Atabo
The Albino Foundation (TAF) on Saturday inaugurated a voter education campaign for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to increase their participation in the 2023 General Elections.
Founder, Chief Executive Officer ,TAF, Jake Epelle at the inauguration of the campaign at the Durumi IDP camp Abuja , said the event was to also commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Epelle said the campaign was designed to sensitise and create awareness among IDPs on thier rights and the need to participate in politics and the electoral processes by coming out to vote and be voted for in the elections.
“Reaching the unreached has always been a problem, so today we decided that we are going to make a formidable impact in the lives of those who need help making sure that food is delivered to their homes.
“We are also making sure that they know their rights when it comes to the electoral process and participate effectively .
“We are passionate about reaching the unreached and consider the IDPs one of those segments of people, so we will do whatever we can to ensure that they participate in the elections and also join in the celebration of World disability day .”
Epelle said if Nigeria was driving towards inclusivity in the electoral process, then nobody should be left behind .
He said that the Electoral Act has captured the clauses that allowed displaced persons to vote and if they are not reached then ,they would be disenfranchised and Nigeria would not have been said to practice true democracy.
Ms Ndifreke Ferdinand, Project Manager ,The Albino Foundation ,said the foundation has a voter education sensitisation campaign called “Able to Vote” and just concluded the one for PWDs.
Ferdinand said the organisation was kick-starting the phase for IDPs and at the Durumi camp as well as celebrate the Disabilities Day with them.
She added that the Foundation would take the campaign to other zones of the country to education IDPs on the electoral system to boost their participate in 2023.
Mr Idris Halilu ,Coordinator and spokesman Abuja based IDP camps commended TAF for the initiative adding that he has his voter card and would be use it to elect the government of his choice.
Halilu however ,complained that majority of the people in the 18 IDP camps in Abuja would not be able to vote because they were not captured.
“We can only elect the government of our choice with our voter cards ,unfortunately, most of my people here will not be able to vote .
“This is because we came here from Borno,Yobe ,Adamawa and at the time they were registering voters ,we went with our cards but they said they can not register us.
“So up to 60 per cent of us won’t vote ,over the last three to four months I laid a complain that we cannot vote because we do not have valid PVCs which is Abuja issued but nothing has been done .
“We are Nigerians and deserve to vote, even those that came when there 12 years old are able 18 now not to talk of us the adults .”
Mr Ikem Uchegbunam , Director, Compliance and Enforcement , National Commission for Persons with Disabilities ,said in September the commission had a special intervention programme called “Votability ” to help displaced persons and PWDs to register for PVC.
Uchegbunam said that registration centre was brought to closer to them to avoid being excluded
” So I would not know why about 60 per cent of them here were not able to register, but the point was, some of them rather than push for change of polling unit opted to register afresh .
“The registration officer said no ,so that is where the problem must have come from.
“However, we will continue to push INEC to see how they can maybe make some concession for them to be able to vote,”he said (NAN)(nannews.ng)