By Augustine Ehikioya
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun strategising with disability groups on how to increase the participation and turnout of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the 2027 General Election.
The Commission, at a national strategy engagement with leaders of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in Abuja on Wednesday, focused on targeted sensitisation and mobilisation of PWDs ahead of the elections.
Declaring the engagement open, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, represented by the Acting Chairman and National Commissioner, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, said the meeting reflected the Commission’s commitment to delivering an electoral process that is “inclusive, accessible, participatory and responsive to the needs of all eligible citizens.”
A bulletin issued by the Commission said the INEC Chairman disclosed that pre-AFIS data from the Commission’s ICT Department showed that 137,487 PWDs had so far been captured on the voter register.
He said the figure comprised 13,080 visually impaired persons, 9,299 hearing impaired persons, 30,561 persons with albinism, 19,430 persons with physical impairments and 54,941 persons in other categories.
Amupitan said the figures underscored the need for sustained and targeted engagement with PWDs, anchored on Section 54 of the Electoral Act, 2026 (as amended), the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and the INEC Framework on Access and Participation of PWDs.
He said the outcomes of the national engagement would be replicated at the state level through Resident Electoral Commissioners and Electoral Officers, with the aim of translating the discussions into grassroots interventions.
The INEC Chairman also urged JONAPWD and OPDs to take ownership of sensitisation and mobilisation efforts within their respective clusters.
In her welcome remarks, the Director of the Gender and Inclusivity Department, Mrs Lakunuya Dorothy Bello, described PWDs as “an important constituency whose voices, choices and participation are essential to the credibility and inclusiveness of our democracy.”
Bello identified persistent challenges facing PWDs in the electoral process to include limited access to voter information and education, as well as difficulties accessing electoral facilities.
In his goodwill message, the National President of JONAPWD, Comrade Abdullahi Aliyu Usman, commended INEC for its disability inclusion policy but cautioned that “one national strategic engagement will not be enough” to achieve full participation of PWDs in the 2027 elections.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Bar. Ayuba Gufwan Burki, raised concerns over mobility barriers and restrictions on movement during elections.
He said improving participation would require deliberate efforts to address such barriers, stressing that PWDs represented a significant constituency in the electoral process.
“If we can mobilise 35 million people to an election, then we will determine where the votes will swing,” Burki said.
