POLITICS
No voter should be denied voting rights due to disability, insecurity – INEC
No voter should be denied voting rights due to disability, insecurity – INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has urged the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to strengthen measures to protect persons with disabilities and guarantee their participation in the 2027 general elections.
The commission said electoral security arrangements must address the specific challenges faced by voters with disabilities, including intimidation, inaccessible polling units, communication barriers and threats of violence.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, made the appeal on Friday during a high-level technical engagement on disability-inclusive election security and protection protocols in Abuja.
The meeting, held at the Abuja Inter-Continental Hotel, brought together security agencies, the European Union, TAF Africa, organisations of persons with disabilities and other stakeholders to develop strategies for safer and more accessible elections.
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Amupitan said the success of an election should be measured not only by the conduct of voting but also by whether all eligible citizens could exercise their rights without fear or discrimination.
“The credibility of our elections depends not only on the voting process but also on the ability of every eligible citizen to participate freely, safely and without discrimination,” he said.
Every second brings Nigerians closer to exercising their democratic right and shaping the future of our nation.
Exercise your democratic right responsibly, peacefully and lawfully.
He warned that persons with disabilities remained vulnerable to obstacles that could restrict their participation and called for stronger safeguards against harassment, intimidation and insecurity.
“Persons with disabilities must be protected against intimidation, harassment, insecurity and other barriers that could prevent them from exercising their franchise,” the INEC chairman said.
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Amupitan identified the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Electoral Act 2026 and the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 among the legal instruments supporting inclusive electoral participation.
He also cited Nigeria’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and INEC’s 2026 Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, which provide for priority access, assistance and appropriate voting materials for persons with disabilities.
The chairman urged the police to maintain professionalism and impartiality while ensuring that security operations did not undermine the dignity or independence of voters requiring assistance.
“Appropriate assistance must preserve the dignity, independence, privacy and freedom of choice of voters with disabilities,” he said.
He called for disability-related concerns to be integrated into security assessments, personnel training, deployment plans and emergency-response procedures before election day.
According to him, such preparations should include identifying polling locations that are difficult to access, areas prone to congestion, potential security flashpoints and communication challenges that could prevent voters from casting their ballots.
Amupitan also advocated improved cooperation among INEC, the police and other security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES.
He said the collaboration should facilitate timely information-sharing, clarify the responsibilities of participating agencies and ensure swift responses to emerging security threats.
The INEC chairman listed the development of clear disability-inclusive security protocols, specialised training for police officers, accessible incident-reporting channels and continuous engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities among the measures required ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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