Jake Epelle, founder and CEO of the Albino Foundation (TAF) Africa, has called for increased investment in election materials for persons living with disabilities to improve inclusivity.
Mr Epelle made the appeal in an interview with journalists on Saturday in Abuja, while monitoring the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council election.
He praised INEC for a seamless FCT poll, commending its logistics and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) performance.
Mr Epelle also commended the performance of INEC ad hoc and electoral officers in the election.
He, however, said that inadequate deployment of voting materials for PWDs and voters’ apathy remains a challenge that must be addressed.
“The critical issue is voter apathy. There may be logistical challenges, but careless statements by political parties are a major issue.
“Security has been good so far. Hopefully, they will keep conducting themselves in the most professional way. I’m also concerned about them because sometimes they don’t get the necessary resources. But we’ll continue to monitor the development.
“The deployment of PWD material has been skeletal and in most cases, non-existent. We need to work hard to solve the issue of voter apathy during elections,” he said.
Mr Epelle stressed the need to invest in voter education, urging stakeholders to continue sensitising citizens to participate in elections.
He also stressed the need to curb ‘reckless’ statements by politicians that erode public confidence in the electoral process.
(NAN)
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