In a bid to discuss the implementation of provisions of the new electoral Act on Inclusivity, the Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will convene a collaborative meeting with the Disability Community next week.
The Commission made this public yesterday at the second quarterly meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu said: “Section 54(2) of the Electoral Act makes provision for assistive materials for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). This is another progressive provision of the new Electoral Act. Over the years, we have worked with the Disability Community in designing some assistive materials like the Braille Ballot Guide and magnifying glasses for visually challenged voters and posters for the deaf.
“We are also working together to collect disaggregated data for PWDs to assist the Commission optimally deploy the assistive materials. To deepen our collaboration, a meeting with the Disability Community will be convened as early as next week to discuss implementation of the provisions of the new Electoral Act on inclusivity.
Yakubu also disclosed that INEC will suspend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise on June 30, 2022.
He explained that the suspension was to enable the commission clean up the registration data ahead of the 2023 polls.
“As you are aware, the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ends next month – 30th June 2022. Both the online pre-registration as well as the physical registration at designated centres are taking place simultaneously. However, online pre-registrants would require time to schedule appointments to complete their registration physically at designated centers.
“For this reason, the Commission has decided to suspend the online registration in the next three weeks from 30th May, 2022. This will enable online registrants to complete their physical registration at designated centres before the exercise is suspended. It will also enable the Commission to clean up the registration data, print Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and compile registers ahead of the 2023 General Election”, Mahmood said.