{"id":6950,"date":"2026-11-02T20:18:15","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T20:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/02\/inec-pledges-inclusive-voting-for-pwds\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T20:18:15","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T20:18:15","slug":"inec-pledges-inclusive-voting-for-pwds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/02\/inec-pledges-inclusive-voting-for-pwds\/","title":{"rendered":"INEC pledges inclusive voting for PwDs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"INEC<\/p>\n

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged to strengthen electoral accessibility for persons with disabilities (PwDs) ahead of the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n

The commission said it would provide assistive materials, improve polling unit accessibility and train electoral officials to ensure inclusive participation.<\/p>\n

Gombe State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Umar Gajiram, gave the assurance on Monday during a sensitisation workshop in Gombe.<\/p>\n

Gajiram, represented by the Administrative Secretary, Hajiya Fadimatu Bakari, said every Nigerian deserved equal opportunities to participate in democratic processes.<\/p>\n

He stressed that disability should never prevent eligible citizens from exercising their constitutional voting rights.<\/p>\n

According to him, INEC recognises that persons with disabilities have equal rights and that their votes, voices and contributions matter.<\/p>\n

He said the commission was implementing measures to remove barriers preventing PwDs from participating fully in elections.<\/p>\n

These include providing assistive materials, ensuring accessible polling units, training electoral officials and collaborating with disability organisations.<\/p>\n

Gajiram stressed that disability inclusion must be integrated into every electoral activity rather than treated as an additional responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cDisability inclusion should not be treated as an additional responsibility but as an important part of our work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He urged Disability Desk Officers (DDOs) to maintain regular engagement with PwDs and communicate their challenges to the commission.<\/p>\n

He also encouraged participants to speak openly about their experiences and recommend improvements to electoral arrangements.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we look forward to 2027, our goal is simple: to ensure that no eligible Nigerian is left out of the electoral process because of disability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said INEC wanted wheelchair users to access polling units easily and visually impaired voters to receive appropriate assistance.<\/p>\n

Similarly, he said, persons with hearing impairments should have access to election information, enabling every eligible voter to participate with dignity and confidence.<\/p>\n

Also speaking, Gombe State Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPwD), Mallam Gambo Ahmad, commended INEC for organising the workshop.<\/p>\n

He described the arrangements as exceptional compared with previous engagements, particularly the provision of accessible communication materials.<\/p>\n

Ahmad specifically appreciated INEC for providing Braille materials for visually impaired participants and an interpreter for effective communication.<\/p>\n

He said the arrangements ensured participants could understand the discussions and contribute meaningfully to the proceedings.<\/p>\n

He identified intellectual disabilities, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, visual impairments, spinal cord injuries and leprosy-related disabilities among conditions represented in Gombe.<\/p>\n

Others, he said, included persons with albinism, adding that people with different disabilities remained members of the same community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all part of this community, although we face different challenges,\u201d Ahmad said.<\/p>\n

He, however, urged INEC to ensure adequate representation of persons with disabilities among its temporary electoral personnel during the elections.<\/p>\n

Ahmad said many PwDs possessed the necessary qualifications and capacity to serve in different electoral positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome can serve as electoral officers, while others can perform different supporting roles,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He argued that employing PwDs in election administration would encourage greater participation and strengthen public confidence.<\/p>\n

According to him, seeing persons with disabilities administering elections would demonstrate INEC\u2019s commitment to genuine inclusion.<\/p>\n

Ahmad urged the commission to sustain and strengthen its disability inclusion initiatives beyond the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n

Also, the Gombe State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Hajiya Maimuna Abubakar, commended INEC for organising the workshop.<\/p>\n

She described the initiative as an important step towards promoting justice and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities.<\/p>\n

Abubakar maintained that electoral participation was a fundamental right, not a privilege.<\/p>\n

She said every eligible Nigerian, including persons with disabilities, had the right to register, vote and participate in choosing national leaders.<\/p>\n

She encouraged PwDs not to isolate themselves because of their conditions but to register and participate actively in elections.<\/p>\n

The NOA director also pledged the agency\u2019s readiness to collaborate with INEC in providing necessary information and support.<\/p>\n

She said the collaboration would help ensure persons with disabilities were adequately informed and equipped to participate in the electoral process.<\/p>\n

\n

Vanguard News<\/a><\/p>\n

The post INEC pledges inclusive voting for PwDs<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source: <\/p>\n

Vanguard News<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged to strengthen electoral accessibility for persons with disabilities (PwDs) ahead of the 2027 general elections. The commission said it would provide assistive… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6950\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}