Access Nigeria set agenda for improved inclusive election for People with Disabilities in Kogi and Bayelsa

Access Nigeria on 7^thMay 2019 in Abuja held her third quarterly stakeholders Roundtable on Inclusive Elections in Nigeria. Access Nigeria is a disability votes matter campaign which was set up in 2016 to advocate for more accessible and inclusive elections for Persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria. In 2016, through the Access Nigeria, Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) came together to carry out first and second ever polling units accessibility audits to measure the level of access at the polling units by PWDs. Access Nigeria led to ensure that INEC implement some of the recommendations from the audits. Since then, Access Nigeria has continued to engage INEC to ensure that more recommendations about accessibility of PWDs to electoral process are implemented both during off-cycle elections in Ekiti, Ondo, Osun and the 2019 general elections.

Grace Jerry, the Executive Director of Inclusive Friends, the NGO who initiated the Access Nigeria campaign in her welcoming remark, applauded INEC for some milestones recorded on Accessibility of PWDs in 2019 elections. These milestones includes introduction of Braille ballot guide for blind voters , PWD-specific Election Day written instructions(EC30E) for the deaf voters, YIAGA Africa’s Parallel Vote Tabulation(PVT) data indicated that braille ballot guide recorded 41 percent distribution in the polling units across the country, the PWD-specific Election Day written instruction recorded 81 percent compliance in polling units nationwide. She commended INEC for institutionalizing these innovations as they were recommended by Access Nigeria. For example, inclusion of braille ballot guide and PWD-specific Election Day written instruction in the INEC training Manual for Election Officials. She commended INEC in the deployment of magnifying glasses for voters with Albinism. She urged INEC to retain these innovations in the Off-cycle gubernatorial elections in Kogi and Bayelsa. Another milestone visible at the 2019 general election is the priority voting for PWDs, majority of the electoral officers adhere to it and she urged the commission to retain it in Kogi and Bayelsa elections which she specifically acknowledged the presence of Resident Electoral Commissioners of Kogi and Bayelsa and asked that they take it from there.

She went further to point out some gaps noticed at 2019 general election which need to be addressed in Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections. The location/positioning of ballot boxes and voting cubicles is still a challenge. Ballot boxes were still kept on the verandas of public buildings and these made it difficult for PWDs to access them. Braille ballot guide that was deployed at 41 percent of polling units nationwide did not match the presidential election ballot paper, and as such, the blind voters could not use it. Many blind voters didn’t see it at all. She pointed out that these shortcomings were of some reasons such as many ad-hoc staff on the field do not know what is braille ballot guide even when it was given to them, voter education on the use of braille ballot guide was insufficient even though Access Nigeria campaign shared these braille ballot guides to the state chapters of National Association of the Blind(NAB) and also paid for the Public service Announcement to popularize it, it was still not enough because Nigeria is large and this effort was not complimented by INEC. More importantly, INEC and Disabled People Organizations must carry out a survey of Voters with disabilities, type of disability and their polling units locations to inform better planning for the next elections. This will assist INEC to know where to deploy these materials.  

The event witnessed the presence of Aubrey McCutcheon, Senior Resident Director NDI, Aishatu Dukku, the Chairman, House of Reps, Committee on Electoral Matters and Civil Society, Dr. Adekunle Ladipo Ogunmola, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Commission’s Outreach and Partnerships Committee (OPC) who represented the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in INEC delegation also Hajiya Amina Zakari, National Commissioner, the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of Kogi and Bayelsa states and relevant directors were also in attendance. In attendance also was a representative of the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), David Young, the United States Deputy Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Samuel Achimugu, Deputy Programme Manager for Governance, Conflict and Social Development, British Department for International Development (DFID). They all gave their goodwill messages.

Also present at the event were some leading disability rights advocates such as Ekaete Umoh, Chair, Disabled Peoples International (DPI) African Region; Jake Epelle, Founder/CEO, The Albino Foundation and Barrister Melody Omosah President, Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities (NAPVID), Dr. Duro Onota, Uja Sulaiman, The President of JONAPWD FCT Chapter, Betty Mube Vice President NAPWPD and many others.

The event had two all-important interactive sessions: The first session was on institutionalizing of INEC’s Innovations for PWD-Accessible Elections: A focus on The Braille Ballot Guide, PWD-Specific Election Day Written Instructions and Magnifying Glasses. A presentation was made by Barr. Melody Omosah-President, Network for the Advancement of people with Visible Disabilities (NAPVID), there were other discussants like Jake Epelle(Founder, Albino foundation), Dr. Adekunle Ladipo Ogunmola, Chairman OPC-INEC, and Ujah Sulaiman, The President, JONAPWD, FCT Chapter. It was moderated by Jide Ojo, a consultant (OJA consults) and public analysts. The other session which dealt with 2019 Off-Cycle Governorship Elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States: Revisiting Access Nigeria Recommendations for Improved Polling unit Accessibility. Dr. Duro Onota (Durosef Consultancy) made the presentation and other discussants were Hajiya Amina Zakari-INEC National Commissioner and Chair Health and Welfare Committee, Ekaete Umoh-Chair, Disabled Peoples International (DPI) African Region, Prof James Apam-Resident Electoral Commissioner, Kogi state and Pastor Monday Udo Tom- Resident Electoral Commissioner, Bayelsa State. It was moderated by Bem Aga-Senior Program Manager, NDI.

At the end of these interactive sessions, some resolutions were reached to set the tone for an improved outing in Kogi and Bayelsa states in the area of inclusiveness and accessibility of the PWDs in 2019 Off-Cycle governorship elections. These are the resolutions:

1. That INEC and DPOs partner with state governments and school administrators to build ramps and handrails at polling units located in public buildings to make them more accessible for PWDs before the 2019 off-cycle governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states. 
2. That INEC retains the Braille ballot guide, Election Day Written Instructions (EC30 E PWD), magnifying glasses and priority voting for the 2019 off-cycle governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states to assist voters with disabilities to vote without difficulties.   
3. That INEC and the Access Nigeria campaign develop a clear protocol on who, when and how the final sample ballot paper is issued for the development of the braille guide. This will help address the mismatch of the ballot paper and guide experienced during the 2019 elections.
4. That INEC makes critical innovations like the Braille ballot guide and Form EC 30E PWD a central component of its voter education messaging and partners with the Access Nigeria campaign, NAB, NAD and other DPOs to achieve better results on awareness creation.  
5. That INEC strengthens the training of its ad-hoc staff on PWD assistive materials and processes like the Braille ballot guide, EC 30E PWD, EC 40H, priority etc. to ensure the inclusion and participation of PWDs in the 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections and other upcoming elections. The Commission should consider working with DPOs.    
6. That INEC works with the Access Nigeria campaign and other disability rights groups to urgently collect the data of PWDs disaggregated by type of disabilities, who are already registered voters during the CVR processes in Kogi and Bayelsa states to ensure effective planning for voters with disabilities.  
7. That INEC permanently amends the CVR form to include spaces for disability status and type of disability before continuing the nationwide CVR process to collect disaggregated data at the point of registration.
8. That INEC considers the draft Sign Language Interpreters Manual to be presented to the Commission by the Access Nigeria campaign to standardize the use of Sign Language Interpreters for the benefit of deaf citizens.
9. That the NOA considers the draft Disability Manual to be presented to them by the Access Nigeria campaign to assist them effectively reach people with different forms of disabilities during their civic and public education campaigns for the Kogi and Bayelsa elections – and other future elections. 
10.  That INEC RECs of Kogi and Bayelsa states incorporate JONAPWD to be members of the local government committee to assist in voter education at the community levels
11.  Early Voter education should be designed and conducted to ensure that  
12. PWDs are aware of all voting materials INEC has provided.
13. That RECs of Bayelsa and Kogi should work with the JONAPWD Chairpersons  in their various states to achieve various recommendations outlined in this communique.

14. That the Access Nigeria campaign and relevant development agencies work to improve the capacity of DPOs to advocate effectively for provisions in the Nigerian Disability Act.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE PICTURE OF THE EVENT: