Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential nominee, has been charged with neglecting people with disabilities, according to James Lalu, executive secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) (PWD).
PWDs were recently urged by Atiku not to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the elections of 2023.
The former vice president had charged that despite the national assembly passing the disability law, the ruling party had not put it into effect.
Atiku made no difference in the lives of people with disabilities when he served as the vice president of the PDP, according to Lalu, who was speaking at a news conference on Thursday.
He claimed that whereas states governed by the APC, including Plateau, Lagos, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Kogi, and Jigawa, have made significant progress in enacting laws for people with disabilities, PDP states have not done so.
He claimed that ever since Buhari took office, he has always had the PWDs’ best interests in mind.
“The disability community battled during the first and second administrations of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the PDP, even after the measure was enacted by the national legislature,” Lalu added.
“I still recall the time the disabled community went on the streets to protest and brought it to the attention of the previous administration; all that happened was that we were tear-gassed.
“We shall always be grateful to President Buhari. He is the disability community’s and PWDs’ best buddy.
He was able to hear the pleas of people with disabilities when he came to power. During his campaign in Lafia in 2014, Buhari stated that he will sign the disability bill into law.
“Buhari signed the Discrimination Against PWDs Prohibition Act on January 17, 2019. He gave his approval to the governing board’s and my appointment on August 17.
“That is when the NCPWDs officially started, and now here we are. This shows that Buhari has started putting the law into effect since then, which Alhaji Atiku and the PDP were unable to do.
Atiku, according to him, ought to prioritize PDP states and persuade them to domesticate the law.
Additionally, Lalu stated, “We want to remind Delta Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa that Delta has not passed or signed the disability law.”
The law was enacted in Sokoto state, but Aminu Tambulwal has not yet signed it or put it into effect.
“We want to draw the PDP presidential candidate’s attention to the need for him to concentrate his efforts on urging the governor of Adamawa to sign the disability bill into law in the 2023 election.
“The disability law has not yet been domesticated in several of the PDP-controlled states. The handicap community is now aware of those who are on their side.
According to the commission, Buhari is the best president Nigeria has ever had, he continued.
We are working hard, but we are not pleased when we hear politicians criticizing President Buhari’s administration for all it has done for Nigerians, he said.
“Buhari is the best president the nation has ever had, according to the handicap community. The following administration would have to uphold and raise the bar that he set.
Normally, this wouldn’t have gotten our attention, but it’s critical that we clear the air so that everyone in Nigeria is aware of the facts and what the Buhari administration has accomplished for people with disabilities.
