Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) with support from MacArthur Foundation held a Roundtable on the Implementation of the Electoral Act in Relation to Persons with Disabilities on Wednesday, 8th February 2023 at Broadfield Hotel, Abuja.
The meeting was intended at amplifying awareness of provisions in the Electoral Act and its Guidelines that seek to improve on the greater participation of Persons with Disabilities in Nigerian elections. For example, Nigeria’s 2022 Electoral Act now demands a national register of voters that disaggregates disability status. It also provides for the inclusion of visually impaired and incapacitated voters by requiring the Commission to take reasonable steps to ensure the provision of suitable means of communication such as Braille, large embossed print, electronic devices, sign language interpretation and off-site voting in addition to more extensive guidelines for their participation. The Roundtable was also intended at increasing the mobilisation of Persons with Disabilities on election day and assess their experiences in the upcoming General elections.
The Roundtable included representatives from civil society organisations whose thematic areas promote disability inclusion, the Joint National Association of Persons with Disability (JONAPWD), the Disability Commission and the House of Representatives Committee on Disabilities among others.
More pictures from the event
