Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) has advised Nigerian political parties to consider the inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in party structure as their participation in politics has gone beyond voting and elections.
Steven Idoko, IFA program manager who represented his executive director, said this in a meeting with Yusuf Yabagi, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) chairman on Tuesday in Abuja.
IFA said the NGO is concerned about the low appointments of PWDs in party structures and their inability to win party tickets.
“We are concerned about the low appointments of PWDs as party Executives, committee members or heads, and even winning party tickets to contest and win elections. This calls for the need to declare a state of emergency on deepening the inclusion of PWDs in all political parties,” Idoko said.
“Not to ignore the successes recorded thus far, 2 persons with disabilities are State Legislators in Adamawa and Zamfara, and 7 PWDs were flag bearers of political parties running for various offices in the 2019 general elections. This signifies growth in institutionalizing PWD inclusion as an idle practice for all political parties in Nigeria.”
Idoko said political parties must ensure accessibility of campaign materials and venues for PWDs
“Political parties must be deliberate about the production of their campaign materials to ensure they are in accessible formats to reach different clusters of PWDs. e.g. braille forms, audio, sign language / subtitled videos, etc.
“They must ensure that venues for meetings and campaign activities are accessible to all PWDs as enshrined in the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Act, 2018.”
