By Akombo Aondona, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress’ (APC) National Leader, People With Disabilities (PWDs), Hon. Tolu Bankole, has charged all political parties to desist from a fetishistic and demeaning deployment of PWDs in the ongoing 2023 General Election campaign.
Bankole gave the charge in a statement on Monday 9 January, 2023 in Abuja.
The APC PWD leader wrote: “For the umpteenth time, I call for the dignified inclusion of PWDs in political campaigns. No candidate is expected to treat PWDs as miscreants during campaign. I frown at any campaign model that will derogate or endanger the lives of PWDs. All PWDs must be treated in a dignified manner during campaigns.”
Bankole felicitated all PWDs and Nigerians, wishing them all a New Year filled with renewed hope.
He called on all Nigerians to collect their PVCs at INEC designated electoral offices nationwide to enable them participate fully in the 2023 general elections, urging them to vote APC candidates at all levels.
Bankole wrote: “2023 is a momentous year especially in the life of our country. We must ensure the choice of an acculturate Nigerian with a track record of unparalleled achievements in both private and public sectors.
“We must understand that the progressive ideals of All Progressives Congress (APC) are bigger than any individual. Hence, the need to vote for a candidate who will build on the gains of the incumbent and offer far reaching elixirs to the current challenges in the country.
“Let us embrace reason and truth. We must be unanimous in shunning those bent on stoking the embers of hate using religious and ethnic fault lines. Our chief objective must be competence in the choice of leadership which Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope epitomizes.
“I call on all Persons With Disabilities who have not collected their PVCs; those who applied for transfer or replacement of cards across the country to go and collect their PVCs at their electoral wards in order to achieve our drive for political, educational, economic and social inclusion of PWDs through the ballot.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission has devolved PVC collection to the 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards from Friday 6th to Sunday 15th January 2023. To ensure those that are unable to collect their PVCs at the Local Government Offices of the Commission can do so at the Registration Areas/Electoral Wards.
“Let me appeal to the election umpire that Persons With Disabilities must be treated with consideration due to our peculiarities during this PVCs collection period across the country to minimize the incidences of ill treatment in previous exercises.”
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