The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fully implement its framework on access and participation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the 2021 Anambra State election.
The CCD made the call in its recent assessment of the preparedness of INEC for eligible voters with special needs.
The study, Equal Voting Access (EVA) for PWDs Report on the 2021 Anambra State Governorship Election: An Assessment of INEC Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities Participation in the Anambra Governorship Election, surveyed six local government areas out of the 21 in the state
The Anambra State governorship election is scheduled to hold on 06 November amidst critical security concerns.
INEC had earlier announced that it increased polling units in the state from 4,608 to 5,720 in order to create more access for PWDs to polling units. That move was in line with the law that prohibits the discrimination against persons with disabilities in Nigeria. The law ensures the protection and provision of rights to people with disabilities across all areas.
However, the CCD study noted that many eligible voters with special needs reported discrimination against them. The eligible voters, according to the study, raised that concern during a focus group discussion.
‘Even responses from the questionnaires administered show that 70 percent of the respondents, making 42 respondents of the total respondents, affirmed that INEC has not provided resources for the engagement of their clusters in preparation for the forthcoming 2021 Anambra governorship election’, the report said.
It noted that only 28 percent of the respondents said that INEC had engaged their cluster in the commission’s preparation for the elections.
‘Furthermore, 42 of the respondents, which is 70 percent of the total respondents during questionnaire administration, responded in negative, that INEC has not provided resources to step down training of voters among clusters in PWDs community’, the study read.
In his response, INEC National Commissioner, Adekunle Ogunmola, said that the electoral umpire was passionate about issues that affect PWDs.
‘Early this year we came up with a programme which we called “Expansion of Voters Access to the Polling Units” and in doing that we did three things together: we converted the existing voting points into units’, Ogunmola said.
‘We also ensured that we removed some of the polling units from places where they are not supposed to be located to more conducive places and also locations that are not accessible to PWDs. We have also removed them from there so as to improve accessibility to the polling units by all voters.
‘And, also, we will continue to maintain that when our PWDs get to polling units they will be given priority, so these are the things which will be replicated at the governorship elections on Saturday [06 November]’.
The CCD report also noted that the respondents were worried about the high rate of insecurity in Anambra State.
CCD therefore urged security agencies to boost the confidence of eligible voters in the electoral process by providing adequate security for the election.
Source: CCD
Photo source: Inclusive news
