By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has disclosed that its available data recorded 137,487 Persons with Disabilities, PWDs, ahead of the 2027 general elections, as the Commission stepped up engagement to boost their participation in the electoral process.
The figure, compiled before the introduction of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, includes 13,080 visually impaired persons, 9,299 hearing-impaired persons, 30,561 persons with albinism, 19,430 persons with physical impairments and 54,941 persons under other disability categories.
The disclosure was made during a strategic engagement between INEC and the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, OPDs, and cluster heads, aimed at promoting the participation of PWDs in the 2027 general elections.
The engagement, which focused on sensitisation and mobilisation, was designed to ensure that eligible voters with disabilities are adequately informed, effectively reached and meaningfully involved at every stage of the electoral process.
Representing the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, SAN, the Acting Chairman of the Commission, Prof Rhoda Gumus, said the meeting was timely as preparations for the 2027 general elections gathered momentum.
She said the Commission was committed to building an electoral process that is inclusive, accessible, participatory and responsive to the needs of all eligible citizens.
Gumus said the participation of Persons with Disabilities was backed by relevant legal and policy frameworks, including Section 54 of the Electoral Act 2026, the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, and INEC’s Framework on Access and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Electoral Process.
She stressed the need for innovative approaches to voter education, including disability-specific communication channels, community-based organisations, radio, social media and other assistive formats.
She urged JONAPWD and OPDs to take ownership of the sensitisation process by reaching their members within their respective disability clusters with information on voter registration, PVC collection, voting procedures, accessibility measures and other aspects of the electoral process. She said the engagement would help stakeholders identify barriers to participation, share successful strategies and agree on practical actions for implementation before, during and after the 2027 elections.
Director of Gender and Inclusivity, Mrs Lakunuya Dorothy Bello, highlighted measures already introduced by INEC to improve accessibility, including Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses, the EC30 PWD form and sign-language interpretation during collation activities.
She said the outcome of the national engagement would be replicated at the state level through Resident Electoral Commissioners, Electoral Officers and other relevant officials to translate agreed strategies into grassroots interventions.
The National President of JONAPWD, Abdullahi Aliyu Usman, commended INEC for organising the engagement but called for broader and more strategic consultations involving more disability stakeholders.
He said such engagements would enable Persons with Disabilities to communicate their needs, identify gaps and propose solutions that could improve their participation in elections.
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Barrister Ayuba Gufwan Burki, said the exact number of Nigerians living with disabilities remained difficult to determine, noting that the population was substantial, and called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to ensure that millions of Nigerians with disabilities could participate fully in the democratic process.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, described the engagement as timely, stressing that an election that fails to include the voices of Persons with Disabilities cannot be regarded as fully democratic.
He commended INEC’s progress in implementing priority voting, consistently achieved during recent off-cycle elections, and urged the Commission to extend similar progress to polling-unit accessibility and strategic voter education.
Deputy Director, Inclusivity, INEC, Habiba Abdulkareem Jatto, outlined objectives to strengthen collaboration among INEC, JONAPWD, OPDs, cluster heads and other stakeholders, increase PVC collection and voter turnout among PWDs, promote awareness of their electoral rights, identify barriers to participation, improve the dissemination of voter education in accessible formats and ensure that no eligible voter is excluded because of disability. The engagement followed a strategic discussion on the s
