A development expert, Jide Ojo, has rued that Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) were not given priority voting in the recently concluded general elections as stipulated by the regulations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ojo, public affairs analyst, said this during a a Twitter space session which explored the topic “2023 Elections and the PWD Candidates Experience Sharing; Exploring Myths, Challenges and Solutions” organized by Inclusive Friends Association.
He said, “When you look at the fact PWDs are supposed to be given priority voting according to INEC regulations, this is not new. But we can debate the implementation of this particular regulation because as an accredited observer I did not see the assistive devices being deployed. I didn’t see PWDs being given priority voting. I didn’t go to all the polling units in Nigeria so I only speaking to areas where I observed, and that was on the February 25 election.”
Ojo, who regretted the various challenges faced by PWDs during elections, however admitted that progress has been made in addressing them.
He said, “When we look at 2023 and the situation of PWDs, we need to look at it in a broad sense. First and foremost, let us look at the legal framework. Section 9 and Section 54 of the legal framework, the one that was tinkered with ab initio. Section 9 sub 2 I think that was talking about having a disaggregated data of PWDs in order to make provision for them. That is the first time we are having that in law. Don’t forget way back in 2019 INEC had had a disability framework for participation of PWDs. That framework subsisted till when we now had the Electoral Act 2022 which in section 9 now talks about having a disaggregated data and the data of PWDs captured during the continuous voter registration exercise.
“Secondly the alteration of section 54 which now says that INEC ‘shall’ provide from the earlier provision in 2010 electoral act which says that INEC ‘may’ provide. Now the language has changed from ‘may’ provide to ‘shall’ provide assistive devices. So when we look at that it is an improvement. Then you look at what did all the political parties did. What I recall is that the dominant parties, particularly APC, they deserve commendation, in their PCC there are PWDs represented.
“The APC administration gave us the National Disability Act in January 2019 and we have the Commission. Then we should not forget that INEC expanded the coast of participation of PWDs with the accreditation…….they were given full accreditation unlike before when they used to be an appendage of Nigerian civil society institutions. Now many PWD organisations are having their own separate accreditation aside from being an appendage. To this extent, it can be said that the coast has also been expanded for them.
“I also need to mention the high nomination forms. Quite unfortunately we saw how the APC, PDP and Labour and others pegged theirs. Although for the APC and PDP I think one of them said they would give a 50 percent rebate. They said okay just pay the expression of interest without the nomination fee.
“But the flip side of not paying is that they are also using that to blackmail the PWDs. So when you win the primaries, they tell you to step down for a more able person who is more financially resourceful. That after all you did not pay nomination fee. So why are you dragging. So when they give you with the right hand they take it with the left.
“And then when you look at it even when the expression of interest alone was paid, look at the APC whose expression of interest form is 30 million and the nomination form 70 million. And then PDP was charging 40 million for presidential nomination. Out of that maybe five million is for expression of interest and then 35 million for nomination form. Even at that when you look at the costly the amount that you are still expected to pay, it is still in millions and how many PWDs can afford that.
“So that is another kettle of fish. But on the whole we are making slow progress. Only that we are not where we ought to be. And we are not also where we used to be. That is why we need to look at it holistically from the angle of INEC, even the electorate.”
Ojo also urged PWDs to register in political parties and be active members. He also urged them to do more to be more visible to the public.
The Young People’s Party (YPP) House of Assembly candidate for Okene 2, Yakubu Abdulkareem, said the challenges faced by PWDs are surmountable if government and other stakeholders are committed to disability inclusiveness in the system.