The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, CCD, has called for the mainstreaming of disability issues on a bill for an Act To Establish The National Electoral Offences Commission and For Matters Connected Therewith , 2017 (SB.469), at One Day Public Hearing organized by the Joint Senate Committees on INEC & Judiciary at the National Assembly Complex Abuja, INN reports from source
The Executive Director of CCD, Mr. David Anayele, made the call while presenting a Memorandum during Public Hearing noted that the proposed amendment is aimed at reducing exclusion and discrimination against Persons with Disabilities in the country.
Mr Anyeale, while stressing on the significant number of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria, which the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank report of 2011, pegged at more than 25million , revealed that the proposed amendments were in line with stakeholders’ resolution during Consultative meetings organized by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities with support from Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre , in the Northern and Southern Parts of the Country. This is precisely Kaduna and Imo States, where Persons with Disabilities gathered to discuss the need for constitution amendment as well as the amendment of the Electoral Act to suit the needs of persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
He also revealed that the need for the proposed amendment was hinged on the worrisome fact that section 42 of the Nigerian constitution of 1999 as amended, prohibits discrimination on different grounds, but was silent on discrimination on the grounds of disability. The section 56 of the Electoral Act also fails to accommodate persons with all forms of disabilities and the non-conclusion of the process of passage of the Nigeria disability bill by the National Assembly.
The Centre proposed the underlisted amendments to the various sections –
•Section 17:Offences by Election Officials
17.1. (b) permits any person whom he knows or has reasonable cause to believe not to be a person with disability to vote in the manner provided for persons with disabilities, as the case may be; or
(c) refuses to permit any person whom he knows or has reasonable cause to believe to be a person with disability to vote in the manner provided for person with disability as the case may be; or
- Section 30.6.B.: (a) where voters are unable at an election to reach their polling stations from their place of residence without crossing the sea or a branch or arm thereof or a river or by reason of disability, means may be provided for conveying such voters to their polling stations, or to enable them to cross in order to reach their polling stations
Inclusive News Network