The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has reaffirmed its commitment to an inclusive electoral process, as it held a National Strategy Engagement with executive members of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities. JONAPWD, and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, OPDs, in Abuja.
The engagement, held on Wednesday, targeted sensitisation and mobilisation of Persons with Disabilities, PWDs, for increased turnout and participation in the 2027 General Election.
Declaring the engagement open, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, represented by the Acting Chairman and National Commissioner, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, welcomed participants and expressed the commission’s appreciation for their “continued commitment to advancing the participation and inclusion of PWDs in Nigeria’s democratic process.”
He said the meeting reflected the commission’s commitment to an electoral process that is “inclusive, accessible, participatory and responsive to the needs of all eligible citizens, including Persons with Disabilities.”
He stressed that as INEC prepares for the 2027 General Election, it was important to “strengthen our collaboration with JONAPWD, OPDs and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that no eligible voter is left behind.”
He disclosed that a total of 137,487 Persons with Disabilities have so far been captured, comprising 13,080 visually impaired persons, 9,299 hearing impaired persons, 30,561 persons with albinism, 19,430 persons with physical impairment, and 54,941 persons in other categories of disability.
He said the figures “further demonstrates the need for sustained and targeted engagement to ensure that Persons with Disabilities are adequately informed, mobilised and supported to participate throughout the electoral process.”
The INEC Chairman further described the partnership between INEC, JONAPWD and OPDs as one that “cannot be achieved by the Commission alone,” noting that it “requires the collective efforts of disability organisations, civil society organisations and, most importantly, Persons with Disabilities themselves.”
He urged participants to engage actively and contribute practical recommendations, adding that “the success of our collective efforts will depend on our ability to translate these discussions into concrete actions that can be implemented both at the national and state levels.”
In her welcome remarks, the Director, Gender and Inclusivity Department, Mrs. Lakunuya Dorothy Bello, said the commission recognises PWDs as “an important constituency whose voices, choices and participation are essential to the credibility and inclusiveness of our democracy.”
She listed persisting challenges to include access to voter information, voter education, mobilisation and accessibility of electoral facilities, and urged stakeholders to develop sensitisation strategies that are “broad in reach but also targeted, accessible and responsive.”
Delivering the keynote address, the Executive Director of Inclusive Friends Association, IFA, Grace Jerry, called for a mobilisation model built around mapping PWD networks and priority gaps, reaching communities through OPD and accessible media channels, delivering practical voter education in multiple accessible formats, supporting registration and referrals, monitoring and documenting barriers for escalation to INEC and JONAPWD, and sustaining follow-up engagement through Election Day.
In his goodwill message, the National President of JONAPWD, Comrade Abdullahi Aliyu Usman, commended INEC for owning a policy on disability inclusion that was itself shaped by Persons with Disabilities.
He, however, called for more frequent strategic engagements, noting that “one national strategic engagement will not be enough for persons with disabilities in Nigeria to participate fully in the 2027 General Election.”
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, NCPWD, Bar. Ayuba Gufwan Burki, decried the barriers of mobility, assistive devices and restricted movement during elections that continue to limit the participation of PWDs.
