As the nation prepares for 2019 general election, Nigerians living with disabilities have developed a demand charter for inclusion that will enable them participated fully in electoral processes in the country, in line with what is obtainable across all developed democracies. The Charter was said to have been developed as a frontal attack to the challenge of poor management of political process, particularly the voting day machinery which usually exclude Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Although, various persons with disabilities in the country acknowledged that various cluster of PWDs usually participated in elections, there is the need for more inclusion in the processes to boost greater participation in future elections.
The demand charter was presented to stakeholders during a one-day workshop organized by Centre for Information Technology Development (CITAD) with support of DFID through Action Aid Nigeria in Kano.
Unveiling the Charter, Ibrahim Umar Abdulkarim, who is CITAD `s consultant for the project, disclosed that the charter seeks to expand opportunities for mainstreaming all clusters of PWDs into all aspects of the electoral process.
“It builds on the consensus arrived at by the broad spectrum of stakeholders that attended workshops spread across the six geo –political zones of Nigeria. The charter recognizes two levels of challenges, general and specific that must be reflected in any statement meant to integrate PWDs into the electoral processes of Nigeria” he noted.
