INEC Calls for Enhanced Protection for Disabled Voters

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to improve measures protecting persons with disabilities during the 2027 general elections. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, made this statement during a high-level technical engagement on disability-inclusive election security in Abuja.

He highlighted that electoral security must address challenges faced by persons with disabilities, such as inaccessible polling units and threats of violence. Amupitan referenced the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and Nigeria's obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as frameworks supporting inclusive electoral participation.

He urged security personnel to maintain professionalism and ensure that assistance to voters with disabilities respects their dignity and independence. Amupitan also called for the incorporation of disability-related concerns into security assessments and emphasized the need for improved cooperation among INEC, the police, and other security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).