The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stepped up efforts to ensure greater participation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the 2027 general elections, promising closer collaboration with disability organisations to remove barriers to voting and political participation.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, gave the assurance during a strategic engagement with the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) and other disability-focused organisations in Abuja.
Represented by National Commissioner Professor Rhoda Gumus, Amupitan said the engagement was designed to develop practical measures that would enable more persons with disabilities to participate fully in the electoral process.
The INEC Chairman stressed the need for sustained collaboration with organisations of persons with disabilities, particularly in identifying challenges and implementing solutions ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Commission’s Director of Gender and Inclusivity, Mrs Dorothy Bello, said disability organisations remained critical partners because of their nationwide networks and their understanding of the diverse needs of persons with disabilities.
Bello said INEC’s existing framework on access and participation was aimed at breaking down barriers confronting persons with disabilities as voters, candidates, political party officials and other electoral stakeholders.
She noted that stronger engagement with disability organisations would help the Commission ensure that its policies and interventions reflected the realities faced by PWDs across the country.
Also speaking, INEC Deputy Director of Inclusivity, Mrs Habiba Jatto, said inclusion must go beyond simply encouraging persons with disabilities to cast their ballots.
Jatto said PWDs must be adequately informed, effectively reached, meaningfully engaged and empowered at every stage of the electoral process.
She stressed that electoral participation by persons with disabilities was a fundamental right guaranteed by Nigeria’s legal and policy framework, rather than an act of charity or concession.
In a goodwill message, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Chief Ayuba Burki Gufwan, called on INEC to procure more assistive devices to enable a greater number of PWDs to participate independently and effectively in the 2027 elections.
Gufwan stressed that the availability of assistive devices in adequate numbers, as well as their proper deployment at polling units, would be critical to achieving accessible elections.
The National President of JONAPWD, Abdullahi Usman, urged INEC to ensure that persons with disabilities were carried along throughout the electoral process, saying their inclusion was essential to the exercise of their civic responsibilities.
Similarly, the Founder of TAF Africa, Ambassador Jake Ekpelle, urged INEC to ensure that polling units were physically accessible to PWDs and that assistive devices provided for them were properly utilised during the elections.
The engagement provided an opportunity for stakeholders to identify persistent barriers, share experiences and develop practical recommendations to strengthen disability inclusion before, during and after the 2027 general elections.
Participants expressed the need for early implementation of agreed measures to ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind in the nation’s electoral process.
Join Inclusive News Network WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.