2027: TAF Africa, INEC take awareness, voter registration to IDP camps in Abuja

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

TAF Africa in collaboration with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday mobilised hundreds of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Abuja for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to promote inclusivity in the 2027 general election.

The two-day intervention programme, funded under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) project, aims to eliminate civic barriers for vulnerable and underserved grassroots communities.

TAF Africa is a leading disability inclusion organisation working to promote the rights, inclusion, and participation of persons with disabilities in Nigeria and across Africa.

Speaking on day two of the exercise, Assistant Programme Manager at TAF Africa, Mr George Dominic, said that exercise which to place at the IDP Camp in Wasa, under Abuja Municipal Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), explained that the intervention targeted the most underserved populations to ensure they were not left behind in the democratic process.

Dominic explained that the exercise was to help many IDPs in the camp, who were displaced by the insecurity in states such Borno, including locations such as Gwoza.

He said that the organisation wanted the displaced person from their original settlements to be involved in the 2027 electoral process.

He said that the TAF Africa believed that political inclusion began with voter registration, noting every eligible person, even if internally displaced, deserves the opportunity to register, vote, and have their voice heard.

“At TAF Africa, our intervention under EU SGN is to ensure the participation of persons with disabilities and IDPs in the electoral process. Part of the electoral process has to do with continuous voter registration.

“These group of persons are the underserved communities that are hardly reached when it comes to some of these interventions.

“That’s why we targeted the IDP camp to come and sensitise them about the need to participate in the CVR and get them to register as voters,” Dominic said.

He said that the intervention’s target were the first-time voters, those seeking to replace lost or defaced PVCs, and individuals requiring polling unit transfers.

“Many have been displaced from their original settlements, so this exercise provides a critical opportunity for them to transfer their polling units to their current location so they can make their voices heard,” Dominic said.

INEC Assistant Director of the Gender and Inclusivity Department, Dr Perpetual Nwanna, that the commission remains passionately committed to electoral inclusivity.

Nwanna, who is also the Head of the PWD Unit at INEC, described the commission’s collaboration with TAF Africa as parts of efforts to help the less privileged eligible voters in the country to easily get register to participate in future elections.

“INEC has been very passionate about inclusivity and has been doing a lot.

“That is why you see us here in partnership with TAF Africa, coming directly to the grassroots to register these less privileged individuals who might not otherwise have the opportunity or the financial means to travel to distant area councils to register,” Nwanna said

She highlighted several specialised interventions designed by INEC to ensure seamless voting for vulnerable groups, including braille ballot guides for the visually impaired, magnifying glasses for persons with albinism, and prioritised assistance for those with physical disabilities.

Aside these interventions, she said that INEC would go to the 36 states of the federation to sensitise the people at the state, local government and grassroots levels on the need for them to register and participate in elections.

Nwanna assured that voters captured during the exercise would get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to enable them to vote or be voted for in 2027.

Also speaking, TAF Africa Facility and Logistics Manager, Afam Kasheem, said that the organisation in collaboration with INEC had carried out the mobilsation in some state, hoping to reach as many states as possible before 2027 general election.

“We’ve been to Kaduna State. Our team just came back from Benue yesterday. We went to Ekiti State before the state election, and we’ll go to Osun before the Osun Governorship election,” he said.

Kasheem advised the people in the IDP camps to take advantage use of the intervention to get registered, and vote for the leaders of their choices in 2027.

“There’s a common saying that says that your vote is your power. If you have your voter’s card, you can have a say in whatever government that will come in place come 2017.

The Chairman of the Wasa IDP Camp, Mr Geoffrey Bitrus, appealed to INEC to establish a permanent polling unit inside the camp.

He noted that the closest existing polling units in the Wasa host community were too far away, which always disenfranchises women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities during elections.

Bitrus expressed deep appreciation to TAF Africa and INEC, noting that the community has resided in the camp since 2014 without adequate access to voter registration due to financial constraints and security concerns.

Bitrus disclosed that the camp was the largest in FCT , housing about 7,776 displaced persons with an estimated eligible voting population of over 4,000.

“We have been looking for ways to register but lacked the connections and the means.

“A voter’s card is highly essential for us. Beyond elections, it serves as a critical identity document.

“When our people travel, security agencies stop them to ask for identification; having a voter’s card validates them as recognized citizens and protects them,” Bitrus said.

The first day of the exercise was held on Wednesday at the PWD Camp, Yangoji in Kwali Area Council of FCT.