Make electoral process conducive for disabled persons in Nigeria ―Group urged INEC, NASS

A non-governmental organisation, Centre for Citizens with Disability (CCD), has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Assembly to ensure that the processes surrounding the electoral processes in the Country would accommodate people with disabilities (PWD), in future elections.

The Executive Director of CCD, Mr David Anyaele, made the call yesterday in Awka, while addressing journalists on the group’s post-election findings of Nov 18 election in Anambra State.

Anyaele said INEC should review all their processes to ensure that physically challenged persons are not kept behind in the electoral process of the country.

We are also calling on INEC to consider us by ensuring that polling units are located in places that can be accessed by people living with disabilities. We will not accept centres located across gutters and on pavements that our members will not be able to access.

He also added that the presence or lack of sign language or interpreters for the deaf, braille material for the blind, accessibility or inaccessibility of the centres and existence and non-existence of barriers were some of the factors that would define the success of any election.

According to him, the distribution of Braille information, education and communication materials 48 hours to the election without logistics was a good example of how not to make provision to persons with disability.

The minimal provision was made for visually impaired persons, as there were no ballots in 81 percent of polling units observed for the visually impaired.

However, Anyaele, who noted that 45 of its members observed the election, said the just concluded Anambra governorship election was an improvement from the Ondo and Edo elections.

On the Disability Bill, the Executive Director, urged the National Assembly should urgently strengthen Section 52 (2) of the 2010 Electoral Act by making the provision of Braille and sign language interpreters mandatory.

He then, called for the harmonisation of the Disability Bill by the National Assembly to enable the President assent and minimise the use of charity based approach by INEC to addressing disability issues in Nigeria.

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