The South West Action Group (SWAG – Adewole for President) has strongly condemned reports of the alleged exploitation, intimidation and electoral manipulation of persons with disabilities by agents of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State.
The group described the alleged practice as reprehensible, noting that citizens who deserve greater protection, social support and inclusion from government should not be reduced to instruments of electoral manipulation through money, foodstuffs and other material inducements.
Reports from Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, Ikorodu, Mushin and other parts of the state indicate that some persons with disabilities are allegedly being offered money and foodstuffs in exchange for their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), alongside promises of their return upon assurances of electoral support for the ruling party. More disturbing are allegations that some individuals are being denied these benefits because they have refused to surrender their voter cards or pledge their votes to the APC.
SWAG considers these practices a gross assault on human dignity, democratic freedom and the rights of vulnerable citizens. Persons with disabilities are not electoral pawns whose economic difficulties should be exploited for political advantage. They are citizens entitled to equal rights, protection, opportunities and the full dividends of democracy, irrespective of their physical conditions or political preferences.
The group emphasised that government has a constitutional and statutory responsibility to protect the welfare of persons with disabilities rather than subject them to political manipulation. Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, establishes the welfare of the people as the primary purpose of government, while Section 16(2)(d) recognises the provision of welfare for persons with disabilities as part of the State's social and economic obligations. Sections 17 and 18 further establish principles of human dignity, equality, social justice and educational opportunities.
These constitutional obligations are reinforced by the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, which provides protection against discrimination and promotes accessibility, inclusion and equal participation in education, employment, healthcare, transportation and public life.
SWAG maintained that government must move beyond occasional handouts and election-season charity to provide sustainable social protection, accessible healthcare, rehabilitation, assistive devices, inclusive education, skills development, employment opportunities and accessible public infrastructure for persons with disabilities.
The group argued that this is precisely where the social democratic philosophy advocated by Prince Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, offers a fundamentally different approach to governance.
According to SWAG, Adewole's presidential advocacy, anchored on Chapter II of the Constitution, the Basic Needs Approach and social democracy, places human welfare, economic inclusion and social justice at the centre of governance. His 2027–2031 governance and accelerated development blueprint, Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity, alongside its twelve presidential missions, provides a framework for addressing the structural conditions that perpetuate poverty, exclusion and inequality.
Adewole's vision recognises that persons with disabilities must not be left behind in national development. They deserve a government that guarantees access to basic necessities, healthcare, education, productive employment and economic opportunities, while ensuring that public infrastructure and institutions accommodate their needs.
Their empowerment must be rooted in rights, equal opportunities and sustainable welfare programmes, rather than political patronage or conditional palliatives. Equally important is ensuring their meaningful representation and participation in democratic decision-making.
SWAG therefore called on the Lagos State Government, the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and relevant law enforcement agencies to investigate the allegations, protect affected persons and ensure that nobody is denied legitimate welfare assistance for refusing to support a political party.
The group insisted that the intimidation of vulnerable citizens and the exploitation of their economic circumstances to compromise their electoral choices must stop.
It further warned that the reported incidents raise serious concerns about the credibility of the 2027 general elections. According to SWAG, the ruling APC, at both federal and state levels, cannot substitute political inducement for good governance or expect impoverished Nigerians to exchange their democratic choices for temporary material benefits.
The growing hardship, hunger, poverty and inequality confronting Nigerians demand a fundamental change in the country's prevailing economic and political direction.
SWAG stated that the 2027 elections present an opportunity to mobilise, educate, sensitise and organise Nigerians behind a genuine social democratic alternative. Its objective, the group stressed, is not merely to replace one political establishment with another that subscribes to the same neoliberal and anti-poor policies, but to support a government that regards the welfare of citizens as its primary responsibility.
Persons with disabilities are not electoral commodities. They are citizens with rights, dignity, aspirations and valuable contributions to make to national development. They deserve inclusion, protection, opportunities and the full dividends of democracy, not intimidation, discrimination and politically motivated handouts.
A Nigeria that works for everyone, including persons with disabilities, is possible. This is the social democratic Nigeria that Prince Adewole Adebayo, the SDP presidential candidate, advocates and that SWAG is committed to building.
VOTE FOR ADEWOLE! VOTE FOR SDP! VOTE FOR A LIFE OF ABUNDANCE AND SECURITY!
Signed:
Comrade Wale Balogun
Coordinator,
South West Action Group (SWAG – Adewole for President)
Otunba Sanni
Publicity Secretary,
South West Action Group (SWAG – Adewole for President)
No comments:
Post a Comment