Disabilities

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

Abuja
The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Mr Ayuba Burki, says Persons with Disability (PWDs), has the numerical strength to determine the outcome of elections in Nigeria.

Burki said PWDs currently with estimated numerical strength of 35.5 million, if fully mobilised during elections could determine who wins any electoral contest.

He spoke during 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 on Wednesday.

He said while Nigeria population is estimated at about 250 million, PWDs also has about 35 million.

“This is a very commendable event, and it will be an opportunity for us to brainstorm and fashion our solutions that will enable more than 35.5 million Nigerians with disabilities to fully participate.

“If we are fully engaged, if we can mobilise 35 million people to an election, then we will determine where the votes will swing,’’ Burki said.

He, however, identified movement restrictions on election days and lack of assistive devices as major barriers keeping them away from the ballot box.

Burki explained that while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) records low voter turnout among PWDs, the root causes extend far beyond the electoral umpire’s direct control.

“Nine out of every 10 persons with disabilities require one form of assistive device or another to function.

“Millions of Nigerian children, youth, and adults badly affected by polio or surviving spinal cord injuries from high accident rates remain confined to their homes because they cannot afford wheelchairs or mobility aids.

“When elections come, transportation and movement are restricted. Vehicles cannot move. If you are limited by mobility and confined to a wheelchair at home, that means you have been completely etched out of the electoral process,” he added

In his remarks Founder of TAF Africa, Mr Jake Epelle, warned that any election excluding PWDs lacked democratic legitimacy.

“Any election that fails to count the voices of persons with disability is not a democracy; it is simply an exercise in exclusion,” he said.

Epelle commended INEC for scoring over 96 per cent in implementing priority voting for PWDs at polling units during recent off-cycle elections.

He, however, urged the commission to replicate that success in the area physical accessibility and early deployment of assistive resources such as Braille guides and magnifying glasses for PWDs at PUs.

“Preparing for 2027 requires that we start the groundwork today.

“Bridge policy to polling units, ensure that assistive resources such as Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses, and accessible voting cubicles are not merely procured, but accurately deployed and utilised at every polling unit or station on election day,’’ he said.

Epelle also called on the National Assembly to ensure adequate budgetary allocation for INEC’s disability inclusion programmes to enable comprehensive voter data mining and grassroots mobilisation across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Also speaking, the National President of JONAPWD, Mr Abdullahi Usman, commended INEC for owning a policy on disability inclusion that was itself shaped by the PWDs.

“In Nigeria, if we are talking about ministry, department and agencies, we always remember INEC and we commend INEC in terms of inclusivity.

“INEC is among or I would say the only government agency I can remember that has a policy on persons with disabilities which is owned by persons with disabilities.

“What I mean is that the policy of INEC that is for the participation of persons with disabilities in electoral process,’’ he said.

Usman, 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.