TAF-Africa urges INEC, security agencies to ensure inclusive voting in 2027

By Elizabeth Ogunjobi

TAF-Africa has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to ensure accessible and safe voting for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in 2027.

Dr Andrew Adaji, Programme Manager of The All-Rights Foundation, made the call in Gombe on Wednesday during a community outreach for PwDs.

Adaji said the agencies must ensure that all eligible voters exercised their constitutional rights without discrimination or unnecessary difficulties.

He said PwDs deserved adequate support to participate in electoral processes, given their population and potential contributions to national development.

He estimated that PwDs constituted about 35 million Nigerians, representing 18 per cent of the country’s population.

Adaji urged INEC to promote priority voting and ensure its officials understood provisions designed to facilitate voting for PwDs.

He also criticised the commission’s alleged neglect of Form EC40H, which documents the participation of voters with disabilities.

“Based on our experience during the off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti, Anambra and Osun states, most ad-hoc staff were not even aware that the form existed,” he said.

He said observers had to draw polling officials’ attention to the form during the elections.

Adaji urged INEC to incorporate training on Form EC40H into its preparation of ad-hoc staff.

He said this would enable officials to understand its purpose and properly document PwDs participating in elections.

He also called for assistive devices, including magnifying glasses and Braille ballot guides, for voters with visual impairments.

Adaji urged INEC to make polling units physically accessible, stressing that PwDs should exercise their rights independently and with dignity.

“We should not have to carry them into polling units. Instead, the facilities should be designed to accommodate them,” he said.

He expressed optimism that improved accessibility would encourage more PwDs to participate in elections.

Adaji also urged security agencies to prioritise the protection of PwDs during security threats and emergencies.

He encouraged PwDs in Gombe to exercise their voting rights under the priority voting provisions of the law.

He said the provisions included special queues for PwDs, pregnant women and older persons.

Adaji urged Nigerians to support the participation of PwDs in the electoral process.

Alheri Nuhu, Women Leader of the Deaf Association in Gombe State, commended The All-Rights Foundation for organising the outreach.

Nuhu said PwDs had been denied adequate attention during previous elections, despite their constitutional rights.

She lamented discrimination by INEC officials and other voters, saying communication barriers often left deaf voters disenfranchised.

She urged INEC to engage sign language interpreters among its ad-hoc staff to facilitate communication during elections.

Similarly, Malam Sani Abubakar, Chairman of the Lepers Association in Gombe State, called for inclusive voting arrangements.

He said leprosy had affected some members’ thumbs, making thumbprinting difficult despite their faces being captured during previous elections.

Abubakar urged INEC to introduce alternative voting arrangements for affected voters to prevent their disenfranchisement.

NAN reports that The All-Rights Foundation is conducting the outreach in six Gombe communities, targeting 305 PwDs.