Anambra Poll: TAF Urges INEC To Ensure All 3,456 Registered PWDs Vote
TAF Africa, an election monitoring group has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure all eligible and willing Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) cast their votes on Saturday with discrimination.
Amb. Jake Epele, Founder, Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa made the call at a pre-election news conference on the participation of PWDs in the 2025 Anambra governorship election in Awka on Friday.
Epele said the Saturday governorship election and Inclusivity of all eligible voters, including persons with disabilities (PWDs),
remained a critical test of Nigeria’s commitment to inclusive democracy.
He said out of 2,802,790 registered voters announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to participate in the election, 3,456 were PWDs.
He said elections not only provide a platform for citizens to choose their leaders but is also an opportunity to measure
the extent to which democratic processes were accessible to everyone, irrespective of
physical, sensory, or intellectual disabilities.
According to him, the absence of disaggregated data on PVC collection among persons with disabilities raises concern, as such data is essential for effective electoral planning
and inclusive participation.
“16 political parties are fielding candidates in the
election, yet none have nominated a person with a disability, reflecting the continued gap in political inclusion and representation.
“This election presents a vital opportunity to assess
how far Nigeria has progressed in guaranteeing equal electoral participation for citizens
with disabilities.
“TAF Africa’s observation mission aims to provide an evidence-based
evaluation of INEC’s compliance with the provisions of Section 54 (1 & 2) of the Electoral
Act (2022), which mandates the use of assistive tools and inclusive measures for PWD voters,” he said
“The exercise will generate valuable data to highlight existing gaps and successes in
accessibility, assistive provisions, and voter experience for persons with disabilities.
“No democracy
can truly thrive when over 30 million Nigerians with disabilities remain on the margins of political life,” he said.
Epele said TAF Africa has
deployed a team of 150 trained observers across the three senatorial districts of
Anambra and the observers were strategically placed in polling units with the highest number of registered PWD voters.
He said the observers consisted of 134 stationary polling units and 16 roving media observers.
“Observers will monitor the availability of assistive tools such as Braille Ballot Guides for blind voters, magnifying glasses for voters with albinism and Form EC 30E PWD for deaf voters.
“We urge communities, traditional institutions, political parties, and voters to prioritise
peace and inclusivity.
“The participation of PWDs in electoral processes is a defining measure
of democratic maturity and inclusiveness.
In his remark, Mr Ugochukwu Okeke, chairman of Joint National Association of People With Disabilities
in Anambra thanked TAF Africa for their deliberate in ensuring inclusion of PWDs in Anambra election.
Okeke called in security agencies to ensure peace as that was the only co
ndition PWDs could participate in the election.
