INEC: No Voter Should Lose Voting Rights Over Disability, Insecurity

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to strengthen measures to protect persons with disabilities and ensure their full participation in the 2027 general elections.

The commission said electoral security arrangements must address the specific challenges faced by voters with disabilities, including intimidation, inaccessible polling units, communication barriers and threats of violence.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, made the appeal on Friday during a high-level technical engagement on disability-inclusive election security and protection protocols in Abuja.

The meeting, held at the Abuja Inter-Continental Hotel, brought together security agencies, the European Union, TAF Africa, organisations representing persons with disabilities and other stakeholders to develop strategies for safer and more accessible elections.

Amupitan said the credibility of an election should not be judged solely by the conduct of voting but also by whether every eligible citizen could participate freely, safely and without discrimination.

“The credibility of our elections depends not only on the voting process but also on the ability of every eligible citizen to participate freely, safely and without discrimination,” he said.

He warned that persons with disabilities remained vulnerable to obstacles capable of preventing them from exercising their voting rights.

According to him, the police and other security agencies must ensure that voters with disabilities are protected against harassment, intimidation, insecurity and other forms of discrimination.

“Persons with disabilities must be protected against intimidation, harassment, insecurity and other barriers that could prevent them from exercising their franchise,” the INEC chairman said.

Amupitan identified the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Electoral Act 2026 and the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 as legal frameworks supporting inclusive participation in elections.

He also cited Nigeria’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and INEC’s 2026 Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, which provide for priority access, assistance and appropriate voting materials for persons with disabilities.

The INEC chairman urged security personnel to maintain professionalism and impartiality while protecting voters who require assistance, stressing that such support must not compromise their dignity, privacy or independence.

“Appropriate assistance must preserve the dignity, independence, privacy and freedom of choice of voters with disabilities,” he said.

He further called for disability-related concerns to be incorporated into security assessments, personnel training, deployment plans and emergency-response procedures ahead of election day.

Amupitan said preparations should include identifying polling units that are difficult to access, areas prone to congestion, potential security flashpoints and communication barriers that could prevent eligible voters from casting their ballots.

He also advocated stronger cooperation between INEC, the police and other security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

According to him, improved collaboration would promote timely information-sharing, clarify the responsibilities of participating agencies and ensure prompt responses to emerging security threats.

He listed clear disability-inclusive security protocols, specialised training for police officers, accessible channels for reporting incidents and sustained engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities as essential measures for ensuring inclusive elections in 2027.

The commission maintained that protecting the voting rights of persons with disabilities must remain a priority in efforts to deliver a safe, accessible and credible electoral process.