A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), has advocated seamless process that would enable persons with disabilities (PWD) vote on Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State.
Molly Joshua, the Director of Programmes of IFA, made the call on Wednesday in Akure during a pre-election press conference of the organization.
Joshua, who tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to make polling units accessible to persons with disabilities by using flat surface venues, said priority should be given to PWD by allowing them to vote on arrival at the polling units.
According to him, braille ballot guide should be made available and categorised as sensitive materials.
He said; “INEC should ensure polling units are accessible by choosing flat, barrier-free venues. The commission should mandate polling officials to fill Persons with Disabilities Form EC40H to collect vital data, aiding future planning and cost-efficiency.
“INEC should implement priority voting for Persons with Disabilities upon their arrival at polling units. Classify and deploy the Braille ballot guide as a sensitive material to ensure deployment, timely availability, and usage by Polling Officials.
We call on the commission to maintain strong coordination with security agencies, prominently post Form EC30E PWD Election Day instructions at polling units in a visible area to enable efficient usage of the form.
Read also: Ondo guber: Factors that could determine election outcome
“INEC should position ballot boxes to allow Persons with Disabilities to cast votes independently, sustain engagement with the Persons with Disabilities community, IFA, and relevant organizations to enhance accessibility.
“Collaborate with IFA to update Persons with Disabilities voter data, actively recruit qualified Persons with Disabilities as staff and ad-hoc staff and ensure training for INEC staff on the effective use of assistive materials.”
Joshua said that the NGO with support of National Endowment with Democracy (NED) sought the electoral body to address stigma and stereotypes that undermined the participation of PWD in election.
According to him, it is evident that persons with disabilities are determined to participate in the electoral and political process of the country if there is enabling environment.
BusinessDay reports that IFA is a non-partisan organisation that employs data to address the inclusion and participation challenges of PWDs in Nigeria.
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