TAF Africa has lauded the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) for ensuring the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the local government election on Saturday, July 13.
The organization also applauded security agencies for being visible in each of the 25 local government areas’ wards and polling places.
The foundation’s founder and CEO, Jake Epelle, made the remark on Sunday in Asaba during a press conference as he provided a final report on the Saturday election.
He noted that in order to guarantee that PWDs are included in the election process, DSIEC has used the lessons learned from TAF Africa. He continued by noting that the foundation sent a team to closely monitor the election and that the DSIEC had worked incredibly hard to provide a more secure and inclusive voting environment.
“We noticed that sufficient security was offered in every polling place we visited, and most importantly, there was no violence reported during the election,” he stated. This made sure that everything went well and that voters could exercise their rights without fear.
However, Mr. Epelle pointed out that voter indifference brought on by bad experiences in past elections was the reason for the low voter participation. Additionally, he said that the establishment of new polling places without sufficient voter education resulted in the disenfranchisement of certain voters.
The organization requested that DSIEC look into the reasons behind the inability to hold polls in Koko 11, units 1, 2, and 3 in Warri North LGA.
