2023 Polls: CSO Expresses Worry Over Non-election Of 36 PWDs

A civil society organization, Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), has expressed worry over the non-election of 36 People With Disability (PWD) into any office in the just-concluded 2023 general elections.

According to the group, violence and non-inclusiveness of the people with disabilities in the elections worked against them as candidates, adding that none of the 36 of them that stood for election was elected.

A statement jointly issued by the Executive Director, IFA, and Convener, VoteAbility Campaign, Grace Jerry, said it was worrisome that people with disabilities were relagated in the elections.

“We found it worrisome that of the 36 PWD candidates in the 2023 general elections, none was elected into their contested office. Mindful that a democratic election is a question of choice and number, and while many factors could be responsible for this, it also shows that there is a huge trust deficit driven by disability stereotypes between PWD political actors and the electorates.

“Nevertheless, the IFA notes what could be the silver lining from Saturday’s polls, which is the possible emergence of Senator Aisha Binani as the first elected female Governor in Nigeria. Should this happen, notwithstanding the negligible presence of women in the Nigerian political sphere, it would be a step in the right direction. And we hope that it would inspire more women and girls with disabilities to participate in the political process. We also hope that it would birth new-found confidence in female political actors by the mass of Nigeria.

“Now that the elections have ended, we regret to say that this is not the election that PWDs expected from INEC. And as such, we call for more deliberate steps to improve the process. INEC must work towards building on the gains made to increase PWD participation in the electoral process. Political participation is a civil right of all Nigerians, irrespective of their status.

“We call on INEC to expand the reach of PWD disaggregated data in subsequent elections. This would ensure the deployment of assistive electoral materials in more states and polling units across the country. INEC staff should also be given adequate training to ensure that assistive materials deployed for elections are used as such.

“We also call on INEC and the security apparatus to ensure a more conducive and secure environment for voters to exercise their franchise in subsequent elections. This would mitigate the susceptibility of PWD voters to violence and encourage more PWDs to go to the polls,” the group said.

The CSO noted that the electorate and political parties must see PWDs as electable and equal stakeholders in the electoral process.

“This would bridge the gap between the former and the latter and make the electoral process more disability inclusive. In the end, good governance begins from the ballot, and so also is an inclusive society,” the group stated.