People with disabilities threaten to sue Tinubu over non-inclusion in ministerial appointments

An umbrella of People With Disabilities (PWD) under the auspices of Northern Nigeria Disability Forum (NNDF), has threatened to take legal action against President Bola Tinubu over their non-inclusion in ministerial and political appointments in the new administration.

The Forum which made the threat at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, said it would approach the court to invoke a law signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 which stipulates that five per cent of all political appointments should be allocated to persons with disabilities.

The National Chairman of the Forum, Yerima Suleiman, who spoke at the press parley, said the decision to approach the court was to ensure their constitutional rights are upheld.

“We will approach the court to interpret the law. The 2018 law signed by the former President Muhammadu Buhari makes it mandatory that 5 per cent of the appointments be allocated to persons with disabilities,” he said.

Read also: Group accuses Buhari of excluding people with disabilities in COVID-19 address

“So that is why we felt we don’t have any representative in all the political appointments made so far. So that is why we planned to approach the court to help us interpret the law made by the former President.

“We are therefore not in support of the swearing in ceremony of the ministers. Some persons might want to say that but there was a commission created to cater for persons with disability. That doesn’t affect the 5 per cent allocation of political appointment for the persons as contained in the law,” Suleiman stated.

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