PWDs seek Electoral Act review over voting materials

Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), under the aegis of Access Nigeria: Disability Votes Matter campaign, have called for the immediate amendment of Section 56(2) of the Electoral Act. The call was contained in the communique of the “Fourth Edition of The Access Nigeria Quarterly Roundtable on Inclusive Elections in Nigeria” held in Abuja. The communique said […]

Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), under the aegis of Access Nigeria: Disability Votes Matter campaign, have called for the immediate amendment of Section 56(2) of the Electoral Act. The call was contained in the communique of the “Fourth Edition of The Access Nigeria Quarterly Roundtable on Inclusive Elections in Nigeria” held in Abuja.

The communique said it was important that Section 56(2) of the Electoral Act be amended by the National Assembly to make it mandatory for INEC to provide PWDs voting materials and to ensure they are institutionalised.

It was jointly signed by Grace Jerry, Executive Director, Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) and convener, Access Nigeria campaign; Isiyaku Adamu, president, among others. The forum is part of the campaigns to make Nigeria’s elections more accessible and inclusive for the country’s estimated 30 million PWDs.

The participants commended INEC for acting on the resolutions of the third edition of the stakeholder’s round table.

“Some of these include the building of ramps in the Bayelsa State office of the commission, training of election workers on materials and processes like the Braille ballot guide, EC 30E PWD, EC 40H,” the communique said.