Persons with Disabilities, PWDs, in Nigeria, are demanding a shift from rhetoric to reality. At a high-level roundtable in Rivers State, advocates called for an end to systemic barriers from inaccessible polling units to exclusion in party politics that disenfranchise millions.

While INEC points to digital tools and interpreters as progress, the disability community insisted that true inclusion must be felt at the ballot box.

The call for full inclusion came out at a multi-stakeholder roundtable hosted by the Stakeholder Democracy Network, SDN. For participants, the right to vote and run for office remains a hurdle-filled marathon, not a basic civic duty.

SDN Country Director, Florence Ibok-Abasi, opened the session, reminding everyone that inclusion can't be a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

INEC said it is closing the gap as the Rivers State Head of Voter Education, Geraldine Ekelemu, highlighted reforms like a dedicated disability department, decentralized registration, and sign language interpreters for result announcements.

Some of the advocates want more focus on physical access like toe voting, among others.

The roundtable ended with unified resolve among stakeholders to dismantle barriers and build an electoral system where disability is not a disadvantage but a voice fully counted.