INEC Targets Higher PWD Turnout, Participation In 2027 Poll
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stepped up efforts to increase the turnout and participation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the 2027 general election through targeted voter sensitisation and mobilisation.
The Commission on Wednesday held a National Strategy Engagement with executive members of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in Abuja to develop practical strategies for improving the participation of PWDs in the electoral process.
The engagement, themed “Improved Targeted Sensitisation and Mobilisation of Persons with Disabilities for Increased Turnout and Participation in the 2027 General Election,” brought together JONAPWD leaders, OPD representatives, cluster heads, development partners and INEC officials.
Declaring the meeting open, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, represented by the Acting Chairman and National Commissioner, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, said the Commission was committed to ensuring that no eligible voter was excluded from the electoral process.
He said the engagement was part of efforts to strengthen collaboration with JONAPWD, OPDs and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 election.
The chairman said the participation of PWDs in elections was anchored on Section 54 of the Electoral Act, 2026 (as amended), the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and INEC’s Framework on Access and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Electoral Process.
According to data from INEC’s ICT Department obtained before the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) exercise, 137,487 persons with disabilities had so far been captured by the Commission.
The figure comprises 13,080 visually impaired persons, 9,299 hearing impaired persons, 30,561 persons with albinism, 19,430 persons with physical impairment and 54,941 persons in other disability categories.
Amupitan said the figures underscored the need for sustained and targeted engagement to ensure that PWDs were adequately informed, mobilised and supported throughout the electoral process.
He said the strategies developed at the national level would be replicated across the states through Resident Electoral Commissioners, Electoral Officers and other relevant officials to ensure that the recommendations translated into practical interventions at the grassroots.
The chairman also urged JONAPWD and OPDs to take ownership of the sensitisation process within their respective clusters.
He said effective inclusion could not be achieved by INEC alone but required the collective efforts of disability organisations, civil society groups and PWDs themselves.
The Director, Gender and Inclusivity Department, INEC, Mrs Lakunuya Dorothy Bello, said PWDs remained an important constituency whose participation was essential to the credibility and inclusiveness of Nigeria’s democracy.
She identified access to voter information, voter education, mobilisation and accessibility of electoral facilities as some of the challenges confronting PWDs.
Bello urged stakeholders to develop sensitisation strategies that were broad in reach, targeted and accessible to the different categories of PWDs.
The Deputy Director in charge of Inclusivity, Mrs Habiba Abdulkareem Jatto, said the engagement was aimed at strengthening collaboration between INEC, JONAPWD, OPDs and cluster heads; developing practical strategies for sensitising and mobilising PWDs; increasing Permanent Voter Card collection and voter turnout among PWDs; and improving the dissemination of voter education messages in accessible formats.
Delivering the keynote address, the Executive Director of Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), Grace Jerry, called for a mobilisation strategy based on mapping PWD networks and identifying priority gaps.
She urged stakeholders to use OPD networks and accessible media platforms to deliver practical voter education, support voter registration and referrals, monitor barriers to participation and sustain engagement through Election Day.
Jerry said mobilisation efforts should extend beyond formal disability organisations to wards, local government areas, markets, campuses, faith-based and community spaces, as well as digital platforms.
In his goodwill message, the National President of JONAPWD, Comrade Abdullahi Aliyu Usman, commended INEC for its disability inclusion policy but called for more frequent strategic engagements.
“One national strategic engagement will not be enough for persons with disabilities in Nigeria to participate fully in the 2027 General Election,” he said.
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Bar. Ayuba Gufwan Burki, identified mobility challenges, limited access to assistive devices and restrictions on movement during elections as continuing barriers to PWD participation.
He stressed the need for stronger mobilisation of the disability community ahead of the election.
Also speaking, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, commended INEC’s priority voting arrangements for PWDs but called for improved accessibility at polling units and stronger grassroots mobilisation through OPD cluster heads across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The high point of the engagement was the adoption of a communique outlining commitments and action points agreed by the stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general election.
