Not less than 600 persons living with disabilities drawn from different parts of Ondo State have thrown their weight behind the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in 2027 election.
Led by the Chairman of the Ondo State Agency for the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities, Princess Folasade Arije, the group said the appointments of Special Adviser on People with Disabilities (PWDs) and the establishment of the Commission for Special People encouraged them to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.
The PWDs included people with hearing impairment, visually impaired, physically challenged persons, persons with albinism and other affiliates of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), who collectively pledged their support for President Tinubu’s second term.
Speaking during a declaration programme organised under the umbrella of the Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG), where members of the disability community across the 18 local government areas of the state pledged their support for the President’s second-term bid, Arije said the endorsement was a demonstration of appreciation for President Tinubu’s commitment to the welfare and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
According to her, “We, persons with disabilities in Ondo State across the 18 local government areas, are here to declare our support for our President and his second-term bid. We appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for promoting inclusiveness and giving persons with disabilities a sense of belonging in governance.”
Arije lauded the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, describing him as an inclusive leader who has consistently identified with the disability community.
While reaffirming their support for Tinubu’s administration, she appealed for more empowerment programmes targeted at persons with disabilities to improve their socio-economic wellbeing.
Her words: “We also request empowerment for persons with disabilities. The essence of this programme is to encourage special persons and give them a sense of belonging. We want them to know that they are important stakeholders in the nation’s development and in the electoral process.”
Also, Special Leader, Babatunde Gbalajobi, noted that persons with disabilities were still not adequately represented in the political space despite ongoing efforts at inclusion.
According to him, disability issues should be approached from a rights-based perspective rather than as acts of charity.
According to him, “Persons with disabilities are not adequately represented. Being physically challenged is a matter of rights. It should not be viewed as something that requires pity or charity. Government can do more to ensure that persons with disabilities are fully represented in government, administration and even non-governmental sectors.”
The Coordinator of the Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG), Asiwaju Olumuyiwa Asagunla, said the decision by persons with disabilities to publicly endorse President Tinubu stemmed from their appreciation of his administration’s efforts towards inclusion.
Asagunla explained that leaders of the disability community approached the group with a request to organise the declaration programme, noting that they were particularly encouraged by the appointment of a Special Adviser on Disability Matters by the President.
According to him, the disability groups expressed their readiness to mobilise support for Tinubu across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State ahead of the next election.
His words: “They told us that a President who has done so much for persons with disabilities deserves appreciation. They said they would mobilise their members across the state and support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid. Today’s gathering is a demonstration of that commitment.”
