One of the most important rights of Nigerian citizens is the franchise—the right to vote. Originally under the constitution, citizens who are 18years old and above cannot be denied the right to vote on the basis of race, religion, sex, disability, or sexual orientation. In every state of the federation, citizens must register to vote, and laws regarding the registration process is the same all over Nigeria.
In 2018, following the immense impact of organisations in Nigeria such as the Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO) and Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) : Disability Votes Matter, a major feat was achieved with regards to inclusion in Nigerian democracy – for the first time ever, voters with visual impairments were allowed to vote unassisted, thanks to newly developed braille ballot guide.
However, despite the impact mentioned above, most people with disabilities in nigeria are still unable to cast their votes or stand for political elections at local and national elections. It has become imperative to dismantle roadblocks impeding the participation of people with disabilities, in nigerian politics.
Hindrance to political inclusion of persons with disabilities
Taking the recent nigerian general elections and other past elections into consideration, some of these barriers include but are not limited to:
1) Framework and Inability of Election Management Agencies
As part of security measures placed restrictions on vehicle movement on the day of elections. While this might have increased the chances of a safe election, it also posed a major problem to persons with disabilities who are not mobile enough, physically, to reach their polling units. Just like the case of inaccessible polling centres, several hindrances are recorded during the main elections process. for one, most poll workers are not efficiently trained on administering the vote to persons with disabilities. It is oftentimes a struggle to find agents/poll workers with the right training and patience to ensure a seamless voting process for this minority group. As a result of these factors, most persons with disabilities either sit out the election process or leave the polls without casting their votes.
2. Enervating Registration Processes
Registration processes in nigeria are never easy thing to do, this also applies to the voter’s card registration and collection process. it is not news that the less than conducive procedure has deterred several members of the voting community from participating in the elections on a general level. From long and poorly managed queues to technical issues and lack of adequate manpower, the first stage of the nigerian electoral process is difficult for voters – disabled or abled.
3. Lack of Reachable Information
Voter education, providing details on how to vote, when to vote, options available in the form of political candidates, the importance of voting as a civic duty of every nigerian, what is expected from public office holders, and the rights of voters across the board, is vital in helping the electorate make sensible decisions in their choice of leadership. However, there seems to be a lack of diversity in this educational process and the general dissemination of election information. Outside breaking information down through a variety of languages that cater to different ethnic groups, it is also important to cater to the need of persons with disabilities who aren’t able to easily access or comprehend the information being spread. This inadvertently leaves them out of the electoral process and increases political exclusion.
Moving forward, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and political parties need to reach out to the disabled communities through the adoption of various means such as sign language, easy-to-read pictures, tactile, etc.
In
recent time, the independent national electoral commission (INEC) and
other civil society, like disabled persons organisation (DPO) and
inclusive friends association (IFA) are making a tremendous effort to
alleviate the problem person with disabilities go through in electoral
process. inec as a reform-minded institution undergirded by the overall
objective of engendering an all-inclusive political process, took upon
itself the task of institutionalizing the framework for a more inclusive
electoral process.