INEC Records 137,487 PWDs In Drive For Inclusive 2027 Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has recorded 137,487 Persons With Disabilities(PWDs), in its voter data as part of efforts to improve their participation in the 2027 general elections.

The commission disclosed the figure on Wednesday in Abuja during a National Strategy Engagement with executive members of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, JONAPWD, and other Organisations of Persons With Disabilities, OPDs.

The engagement focused on targeted sensitisation and mobilisation of PWDs to increase voter participation in the 2027 elections.

According to data presented by INEC’s Information and Communication Technology Department before the deployment of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, AFIS, the figure includes 13,080 visually impaired persons, 9,299 hearing impaired persons, 30,561 persons with albinism and 19,430 persons with physical impairment.

Another 54,941 persons were captured under other categories of disability.

The commission said the engagement formed part of its efforts to strengthen collaboration with disability groups and address barriers that could limit the participation of PWDs in the electoral process.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, who was represented by the Acting Chairman and National Commissioner, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, said the strategies discussed at the meeting would be replicated across the states through Resident Electoral Commissioners and Electoral Officers.

The commission also urged JONAPWD and other OPDs to take ownership of sensitisation and mobilisation activities within their communities.

Director, Gender and Inclusivity, Mrs Lakunuya Dorothy Bello, described PWDs as an important constituency in the electoral process, noting that they still face challenges in accessing voter information, voter education and electoral facilities.

She said the commission was working to address such challenges and improve access to the electoral process.

Deputy Director, Inclusivity, Mrs Habiba Abdulkareem Jatto, said the engagement was designed to strengthen collaboration between INEC and disability organisations, promote practical voter education and increase PVC collection and voter turnout among PWDs.

She added that accessibility remained central to ensuring that persons with disabilities could participate fully in elections.

The Executive Director of Inclusive Friends Association, Grace Jerry, called for wider mobilisation through existing PWD networks and more accessible communication channels.

Jerry urged stakeholders to identify gaps in the disability community, provide practical voter education, support registration and referrals, and monitor barriers that may arise before and during Election Day.

She also called for mobilisation beyond formal organisations to wards, local government areas, markets, campuses, faith-based spaces, community centres and digital platforms.

President of JONAPWD, Comrade Abdullahi Aliyu Usman, commended INEC for involving persons with disabilities in shaping its policies but said a single national engagement would not be sufficient to achieve broad participation.

He called for sustained engagement with PWD organisations at the grassroots to ensure that information reaches eligible voters across the country.

Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, NCPWD, Bar. Ayuba Gufwan Burki, highlighted mobility challenges and limited access to assistive devices as some of the barriers affecting participation.

Burki said greater involvement of PWDs in elections could have a significant impact on voter mobilisation, adding that “if we are fully engaged, if we can mobilise 35 million people to an election, then we will determine where the votes will swing.”

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, also called for greater accessibility and grassroots mobilisation.

Epelle said the participation of PWDs should be treated as a core part of the democratic process, stressing that “any election that fails to count the voices of persons with disability is not a democracy, it is an exercise in exclusion.”

The engagement was held within the framework 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.

Participants adopted a communique outlining measures to strengthen voter education, mobilisation, accessibility and collaboration ahead of the 2027 elections.

INEC has previously stated that it works with JONAPWD, OPDs, civil society organisations and development partners on disability inclusion, including sensitisation, mobilisation and the deployment of assistive devices during elections.