The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Oyo State has trained persons with disabilities on electoral participation and on the inclusive measures it plans to use in the 2027 general elections.
By: Ganiyu Olayinka
The workshop was held at the state collation centre at INEC’s office in Ibadan. It was organised to raise awareness among voters with disabilities, improve their understanding of voting procedures and address barriers that could keep them from taking part.
Assistive tools and priority access
Oyo Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Prof. Rahmon Adeniran Tella, who was represented by Mrs Agnes Abosede Oluwatomisin, said the commission is committed to making sure eligible citizens with disabilities can exercise their civic rights without avoidable obstacles.
He said inclusion goes beyond letting people with disabilities register and vote. It also requires accessible electoral information, access to polling units and encouragement to take part in voter education, election observation and other lawful electoral activities.
According to Tella, INEC will provide assistive devices, including magnifying glasses, Braille ballot guides and written instruction posters for voters with hearing impairments. He said persons with disabilities, together with elderly people, pregnant women and nursing mothers, are entitled to priority at polling units under the commission’s guidelines.
The REC added that INEC will keep engaging qualified persons with disabilities as ad hoc election staff. He named inaccessible polling units, communication barriers, transport difficulties, a lack of electoral information in accessible formats and negative public attitudes as challenges that need collective action.
Permanent Voter Card distribution
Tella also said INEC is distributing the first batch of 77,015 newly printed Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) across 351 registration areas in the state. The exercise began on October 9 and is due to end on October 15, he said, before moving to local government level from October 16.
Workshop goals
INEC’s Deputy Director of Gender and Inclusivity, Mrs Habiba Jatto, said the workshop aims to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of disability inclusion and accessibility, and how the commission’s measures are deployed. She said participation by people with disabilities, as voters, candidates and election staff, is central to an inclusive democracy.
She listed the workshop’s objectives as better accessible voter education, closer collaboration with disability organisations, training in the use of assistive devices and identifying gaps from past elections ahead of the 2027 polls. Providing assistive materials alone is not enough, she said, without proper deployment, coordination, monitoring and awareness among the people they are meant to help.
Mrs Simbiat Akande, head of the Civic Values and Democratic Department at the National Orientation Agency, representing the agency’s director, Mallam Isah, also called for effective disability inclusion and accessibility in the electoral process.
Disability groups ask for closer engagement
The Oyo State chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Mr Abiodun Kolawole, praised INEC for the training but appealed for stronger collaboration with the disability community. He said the association had written to request a courtesy visit to the REC’s office but had not yet received a response, and asked the commission to consider the request.
Kolawole also called for fair consideration of persons with disabilities for election observer and ad hoc staff positions in 2027, in line with INEC’s recruitment guidelines.
Discover more from CLARITYNEWSNG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
