700 PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITY WILL BE DEPLOYED FOR 2023 ELECTION PROCESSES——-INEC
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has revealed that in pursuit of equal opportunities’ policy for all Nigerians, it will deploy up to 700 Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) as monitors, supervisors, collation and returning officers for 2023 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, stated it at a campaign to promote the mainstreaming of PWDs in the electoral process organised by the Albino Foundation on wednesday in Abuja.
Pledging to dismantle all barriers against inclusion of PWDs in elective and leadership positions he said that the commission has launched its framework on access and participation of sersons with disabilities in the electoral process.
He said: “However, there is so much to do to address the persistent gap in political participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in party leadership and nomination of candidates for elections. I urge parties to do more”.
He explained that an aspect of the Electoral Act 2022 is the specific provision on the participation of PWDs in the electoral process where Section 54 provides for assistive and inclusive devices which in a sense has codified some of the initiatives already undertaken by the commission.
He said that the introduction of assistive devices such as the braille ballot guide, magnifying glasses and posters for the deaf were all products of the commission’s engagement with the disability community.
“In implementing the provisions of Section 54 of the Electoral Act 2022, we will continue to engage with the disability community without which the commission cannot provide the appropriate interventions needed to facilitate their full participation in the electoral process”.
He pointed out that to sustain the determination to serve the physically challenged better, INEC needs more and reliable data on disability, particularly the locations with the largest concentration of PWDs.
“On our part, we have also gathered data on disability from the last voter registration exercise disaggregated by type of disability. For instance, we now know the percentages of new registrants with albinism, blindness, hearing challenges, spinal cord injuries, downs syndrome, little stature etc”.
On accessibility to voting and collation locations for PWDs, he said that the commission will continue to engage with government, proprietors, and service providers across the country to ensure PWDs have access to all facilities not just for the purpose of elections but to all facilities for education, health care as a matter of responsibility.
The founder of Albinism Foundation Mr Jake Epelle, in his speech stated that
700 members of persons with disability will be deployed in partnership with INEC as observers in the electoral hub with on the spot application that will give on the spot assessment of what is happening in every polling unit real time data and video.
“We are deploying for the first time sign language interpreters for the two houses of the National Assembly and their salary to be paid for three years. We also need to attach a sign language interpreter to the INEC chairman wherever he goes,” he said.
He said that PWDs will also deploy their members as interns not only in Abuja where everything is centered but to the states to ensure they begin to give opportunities to learn from those who are already in the house. So that they can be future legislators.
