Ondo Guber: IFA advocates inclusive elections, accessibility of PU for PWDs

A non-governmental organisation, Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure the inclusivity of persons with disabilities (PWDs) during the upcoming Saturday’s governorship election, particularly ensuring easy accessibility to polling units.

While calling for strict adherence to the Electoral Act to foster an accessible and inclusive election process, IFA advised that flat and barrier-free venues should be provided on election day.

According to the organisation, during a press conference, voting priority should be implemented for PWDs upon their arrival at polling units, and ballot boxes should be positioned in a way that allows them to cast their votes independently.

The Programme Director of the association, Molly Joshua, said: “The Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), a non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation led by persons with disabilities and women, advocates for the inclusion and active participation of Nigeria’s over 35 million persons with disabilities in civic and democratic processes.

“IFA, in collaboration with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), will be deploying a team of trained, non-partisan, and independent citizen observers across the LGAs to track incidents and persons with disabilities’ participation in the Saturday, November 16, 2024, Ondo State Gubernatorial Election.

“Through our ongoing efforts in advocacy, training, and research, and with support from our partner, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), we aim to ensure that the Ondo gubernatorial election is accessible and inclusive for all.

“Over the years, IFA has collaborated with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make strides in electoral accessibility, introducing tools such as the Braille Ballot Guide and PWD-specific Election Day instructions (EC 30E PWD poster) to support independent voting by persons with visual and hearing impairments.

“This partnership with INEC has led to notable improvements in accessibility and empowerment for Nigeria’s disability community, and we commend INEC for remaining committed to this partnership over the years.

“Despite efforts deployed over the years to make elections inclusive, accessible, and fair, there remain significant barriers to full participation of persons with disabilities.

Documented evidence in recent elections, including the 2023 General Elections and off-cycle elections in Bayelsa, Kogi, Imo (2023), and the just-concluded Saturday, September 21, 2024, Edo State gubernatorial elections.”