By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring greater participation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The Commission made this commitment on Wednesday in Abuja at a National Strategy Engagement with the executive members of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), development partners and other stakeholders.
The engagement focused on improved targeted sensitization and mobilization of PWDs to increase their turnout and participation in the 2027 elections.
Declaring the meeting open, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, who was represented by the Acting Chairman and National Commissioner, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, said the Commission was committed to an electoral process that is inclusive, accessible, participatory and responsive to the needs of all eligible citizens.
Amupitan said stronger collaboration with JONAPWD, OPDs and other stakeholders was necessary to ensure that no eligible voter with disability was left behind.
He said the participation of PWDs in elections was anchored on Section 54 of the Electoral Act, 2026 (as amended), the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and INEC’s Framework on Access and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Electoral Process.
According to him, data from INEC’s ICT Department, obtained before the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) exercise, showed that 137,487 PWDs had so far been captured.
The figure comprises 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.
The INEC Chairman said the figures underscored the need for sustained and targeted engagement to ensure that PWDs were adequately informed, mobilized and supported throughout the electoral process.
He added that the outcome of the national engagement would be replicated at the state level through Resident Electoral Commissioners, Electoral Officers and other relevant officials to translate the strategies into practical interventions at the grassroots.
Amupitan also urged JONAPWD and OPDs to take ownership of sensitization efforts within their respective clusters.
In her remarks, the Director, Gender and Inclusivity Department, Mrs Lakunuya Dorothy Bello, described PWDs as an important constituency whose voices, choices and participation were essential to the credibility and inclusiveness of Nigeria’s democracy.
Bello identified access to voter information, voter education, mobilization and accessibility of electoral facilities as some of the persistent challenges confronting PWDs.
She urged stakeholders to develop sensitisation strategies that were broad in reach, targeted, accessible and responsive.
The Deputy Director in charge of Inclusivity, Mrs Habiba Abdulkareem Jatto, said the engagement was aimed at strengthening collaboration among INEC, JONAPWD, OPDs and cluster heads, developing practical strategies for sensitization and mobilization, increasing PVC collection and voter turnout among PWDs, and improving voter education through accessible formats.
Delivering the keynote address, Executive Director of Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), Grace Jerry, advocated a mobilisation model that would map PWD networks and priority gaps, reach communities through OPDs and accessible media channels, provide voter education in multiple accessible formats and support registration and referrals.
She also called for systematic monitoring and documentation of barriers to participation, as well as sustained engagement through Election Day.
Jerry urged INEC, JONAPWD, OPDs, political parties and development partners to work together to identify and remove barriers before the 2027 election, saying sensitization should extend to wards, Local Government Areas, markets, campuses, faith and community spaces and digital platforms.
In his goodwill message, National President of JONAPWD, Comrade Abdullahi Aliyu Usman, commended INEC for its disability inclusion policy, noting that the policy had been shaped by Persons with Disabilities.
He, however, called for more frequent strategic engagements, stressing that a single national engagement would not be sufficient to ensure full participation of PWDs in the 2027 elections.
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Bar. Ayuba Gufwan Burki, also highlighted mobility challenges, inadequate assistive devices and restrictions on movement during elections as barriers limiting the participation of PWDs.
Similarly, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, commended INEC’s priority voting arrangements for PWDs but called for improved accessibility at polling units and stronger grassroots mobilisation through OPD cluster heads across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The engagement culminated in the adoption of a communique outlining commitments and action points agreed upon by stakeholders ahead of the 2027 General Election. The communique was formally adopted by the National Secretary of JONAPWD, Mr Ishaku Adamu.
