Cedar Seeds inspires more people with disabilities into politics

On 9^th of May 2019, Cedar seeds foundation as part of their programme of mainstreaming political participation of persons with disabilities towards an inclusive electoral procees organized a focus group discussion in Abuja to draw up ways for proper engagement of the critical stakeholders for an improved involvement of people with disabilities in the political space in Nigeria.

Lois Auta, the Executive Director and Founder of Cedar Seeds Foundation in her introductory remarks, explained that the focus group discussion is part of the foundation’s lined up programmes on mainstreaming people with disabilities in politics. It is a programmes sponsored by MacAuthur Foundation and the activities are townhall meetings, press conferences, focus group discussions and advocacy visits to key stakeholders to advocate inclusive elections, participation of PWDs in politics and how political space can be more inclusive for PWDs. She was excited to have participated in the last general election where she contested for Federal House of Representative (Bwari/AMAC Federal Constituency). She said that though she didn’t win the election but she won the process. She is the first and only woman with disability to contest for House of Representative seat out of 4,680 candidates that were on the ballot across the country. She has set a record; She has inspired other women with disabilities and people with disabilities at large to participate in the 2023 elections. She went further to say that venturing in politics came with a lot of challenges for her as a woman with disability, challenge of accessibility, funding and being a woman and also a woman living with disability, ethnicity, religion and so on. In spite of all these challenges she pushed through and eventually, her name made it to the ballot. It is exciting for her voting for herself in a federal election, it was an emotional and memorable day for her. She advised the Federal Government to expedite action to implement the newly signed Disability Rights Act. She advocates that political parties should reduce the cost of expression of interest form and the electoral act should be reviewed to accommodate that and political parties should give waivers to people with disabilities to encourage their participation in the elective offices or have a quota system for people with disabilities. These should be reflected in the party constitutions and manifestoes.

She proffered a strategy that will systemically encourage more people with disabilities in politics which is to introduce an affirmative action for PWDs into the parliament at all levels. The model has been adopted by Ugandan and it worked. It can be done here in Nigeria. A certain percentage (like 5percent) of parliamentarian seats at all levels should be reserved for people with disabilities. People with disabilities being among the poorest of the poor due to their limitations requires some legislative assistance to encourage their participation in politics. Being in the parliament will create several opportunities to influence laws and policies that will enhance inclusion of people with disabilities in different sectors such as education, employment, transportation, health etc.

The focus group discussion was attended by people with disabilities of different clusters and some resolutions were reached.

1. INEC should do more in awareness creation about inclusive election so that PWDs will be well informed about the process.
2. INEC should change their disability desk officers to people with disabilities because it is only those who live with disability understands the issues better.
3. People with Disabilities should get more involved in politics through joining political parties and picking up party nomination forms because it is known fact that when people with disabilities are within the corridors of power, they will influence more policies to their favour.
4. Funding is a challenge that hinders people with disabilities from going into politics. Electoral act should be reformed to cut down the cost of campaigning and expression of interest form and again political parties should give waivers to people with disabilities whenever they have interest to contest.
5. The political parties should incorporate the interest of the people with disabilities in their party manifestoes and constitutions.
6. The government should as a matter of urgency commence the implementation of the Discrimination against People with disabilities Prohibition Act. It will go a long way to mainstream persons with disabilities in politics.
7. The people with disabilities will engage the media more in the advocacy of people with disabilities participation in politics.