By Joy Baba – Yesufu
Persons Living With Disabilities (PWD) have scored the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC) low in its process of involving them in the 2023 general elections noting that there were no cohesive records of their participation.
Lois Auta, Executive Director Cedar Seed Foundation made this known in Abuja during the presentation of a report on the ‘inclusiveness of PWD in the 2023 general elections’.
She said most of the polling units didn’t have tactile ballot papers for persons with visual impairment, that will enable them know different party logos and colors, this according to her disenfranchised most of them.
She also said most of INEC adhoc staff didn’t know of the ECH 40 forms that PWD are supposed to fill after casting their votes saying that the forms were meant to enable INEC have a detailed record of their members that voted during that election.
According to her “the report is trying to let us know how inclusive 2023 general election was for PWD. We wanted 100 percent participation but we could not achieve it in 2023 elections. I can manage to give INEC 25 percent of persons with disabilities inclusiveness during the 2023 elections. Most of the polling units didn’t have tactile ballot papers, there were not sign language interpreters, the ECH 40 form that was supposed to be given to voters with disabilities after casting their votes, most of the adhoc staff are not aware of the forms. After casting my vote, I asked the adhoc staff for the ECH 40 forms, I was surprised the adhoc staff didn’t even know anything about the form.
“With the statistics of Disability Inclusion in Governance,(DIG) at this point, we are here to discuss how to include women and girls with disabilities in the governance structures in Nigeria. We are tired of the exclusion, we are tired of under representation, we are also tired of the discrimination. We are here to say enough is enough. We are here to strategies and come up with recommendations that will ensure the inclusivity of women with disabilities in all governance structures starting from the federal level to the unit level.
“We have the qualifications, we have the capacity and we have the passion but we lack the opportunities, platforms and the support”.
In his address, representative of the US embassy, Mr. Stephen Schlieman, urged Nigerian government to enact and uphold national laws and policies, and also respect their obligations under Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities adding that his country promotes and protects the rights of PWD and works to ensure their full inclusion on equal basis with others.
He said president Joe Biden is committed to US leadership and support for disability inclusive actions affecting the 1 billion PWDs globally.
