0806 673 1702

990 NAL Boulevard, Central Business District Abuja
info@tafafrica.co
Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin Instagram
GIVE

PRE-ELECTION PRESS STATEMENT ON THE 2024 ONDO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

Akure, Ondo State – Nigeria | Friday, 15th November 2024

Introduction

As Ondo State prepares for the 2024 governorship election, TAF Africa acknowledges the substantial progress made in advancing a more inclusive electoral environment. This election cycle marks a crucial highlight, with both advancements in inclusive electoral practices and remaining challenges that must be addressed to ensure the active participation of all eligible voters, especially persons with disabilities (PWDs).

With 2,053,061 registered voters, including 1,782 people with disabilities, this election represents an important opportunity for broader participation. It is commendable that 1,757,205 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected, leaving only 295,856 uncollected, a low percentage of 14.4%. However, the lack of specific data on PVC collection by persons with disabilities remains an oversight. Comprehensive and disaggregated data is critical to advancing electoral inclusivity for all.

Furthermore, we recognize the commendable candidature of Barrister Myson Adeyemi Nejo, a person with physical disability, who stands as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate. This is a remarkable step toward increased representation for the community of persons with disabilities, considering no PWD candidate contested in the recent Edo State governorship election. However, we are saddened to hear about the decision of the ADC candidate to withdraw less than 48 hours before the election. This unfortunate turn of events diminishes inclusive representation efforts and emphasizes the need for robust support systems for PWD candidates.

Pre-Election Key Observations

  • Violent Clashes and Security Concerns: We noted with concern the pre-election violent incidents, such as the attacks by political thugs in Idanre Local Government Area, which have instilled fear and apprehension among voters, particularly those with disabilities. While INEC has taken proactive steps by training security personnel to provide a tranquil electoral environment, sustained efforts are essential to prevent further disruptions and ensure the safety of all voters.
  • Lack of Disaggregated Data: While the number of PWDs registered as voters is noted, there is no data on PWD-specific PVC collection. This lack of disaggregated Data obstructs comprehensive analysis and planning for accessible elections. INEC’s commitment to collecting and reporting detailed data on PVC collection by PWDs in future elections is imperative to achieving full electoral inclusivity. 
  • Withdrawal of a PWD Candidate: The withdrawal of Barrister Myson Adeyemi Nejo, the only PWD candidate, less than 48 hours before the election is a significant setback for disability inclusion. His presence on the ballot would have provided representation for PWDs in political leadership, a vital factor in promoting inclusive governance. This highlights the need for stronger advocacy and support mechanisms for PWD political aspirants.
  • Financial Inducement Concerns: Reports of pre-election financial inducements threaten the integrity of the electoral process. The use of money in elections can unfairly influence voters, particularly those in vulnerable communities, including PWDs. Electoral stakeholders must take stronger measures to ensure transparency and guard against financial manipulation.

 

TAF Africa’s Deployment Plan

TAF Africa is committed to monitoring INEC’s compliance with its obligations to provide assistive tools and accommodations to ensure accessible voting for persons with disabilities, as mandated by the Electoral Act 2022, Section 54, Sub-sections 1 & 2. TAF Africa will deploy twenty (20) trained stationary observers to polling units in each local government area with the highest numbers of registered persons with disabilities. In addition, five (5) roving media observers will be assigned to monitor and document INEC’s provision of assistive devices, such as Braille ballot guides for the blind, magnifying glasses for persons with albinism, large font posters for the deaf (Form EC 30 PWD), and priority voting for persons with disabilities.

TAF Africa’s observation efforts are supported by our upgraded election observer app, which facilitates real-time data transmission from observers in the field to the PWD election hub, through our election monitoring dashboard. This data-driven technology enhances the accuracy, speed, and responsiveness of our reporting, enabling timely insights into the electoral environment and compliance levels. Our observers will record data on the availability and accessibility of assistive tools, the prioritization of PWD voters, and the quality of the electoral environment. This information will provide a clear assessment of the degree to which inclusive voting standards are upheld.

 

Recommendations

To facilitate an inclusive, fair, and peaceful election, TAF Africa urges the following:

  • Security agencies should strengthen their presence in identified flashpoints, such as Idanre Local Government, to prevent violence and maintain order and provide security escorts for PWDs where necessary to ensure their safe access to polling units.
  • Full INEC Compliance with Accessibility Standards: We urge INEC to ensure that all necessary assistive devices, such as Braille guides, magnifying glasses, and instructions for the deaf, are available at polling units with registered PWD cluster that needs them. Priority voting for PWDs must be enforced to create a dignified voting experience.
  • Strengthen Data Collection for PWD Inclusion: INEC should ensure disaggregated data collection and publication on PVC distribution among persons with disabilities. This data is essential for identifying gaps in electoral accessibility and fostering PWD participation.
  • Systematic Support for PWD Candidates: Political parties should establish frameworks to support PWD candidates to counter challenges, especially last-minute pressures that may compel them to withdraw. This support is crucial to sustaining the gains of inclusivity and ensuring representative governance.
  • Address Financial Inducements in Elections: INEC, security agencies, and anti-corruption bodies should take decisive action to prevent and penalize the use of financial inducements in the electoral process. For an election to be fair and unbiased, it is essential to make sure that voters are not unduly swayed.

 

While we commend the governorship candidates for signing the peace accord through the National Peace Committee on the 8th of November led by General Abdulsalami Abubakar, we urge all political stakeholders to commit to a non-violent election and respect the principles of free, fair, and inclusive elections in actions. A peaceful election will encourage broad participation and build confidence in Nigeria’s democratic processes.

Through our deployment of trained observers and real-time data-driven reporting, we are poised to contribute meaningfully to ensuring that PWDs participate equally and freely in the 2024 Governorship Election. We will provide periodic updates based on observations and findings from the field. The successful participation of PWDs in the Ondo State election will set a positive precedent for future elections, moving Nigeria closer to achieving a fully inclusive democracy.

God bless the good people of Ondo State.

 

Signed.

Jake Epelle Fnipr

CEO/Founder

TAF Africa

 

 

For media inquiries, please contact Lynn Agwuncha at +234 (0) 706 809 1367 or email l.agwuncha@tafafrica.co

 

More Posts

Inside the Joint EU Election Hub: How TAF Africa Tracked Ekiti’s Election in Real Time

Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State — 20 June 2026 Long before the polls closed, the story of Ekiti’s governorship election was already being written — not on ballot papers, but on screens. On the morning of 20 June 2026, the Afe Babalola Civic Centre in Ado-Ekiti became the nerve centre of TAF Africa’s election observation operation. Inside, the PWD Election Hub hummed with quiet urgency: coordinators, data analysts, communication officers, and technology support personnel worked side by side, watching a steady stream of real-time reports arrive from observers stationed across 150 polling units throughout the state. A Living Picture of Election Day Each report told a small piece of a much bigger story. Submitted through the TAF Disability Hub Application (available at https://electionhub.org.ng/), observer reports captured critical data points as they happened: polling unit accessibility, the availability of assistive devices, the conduct of election officials, voter turnout among persons with disabilities, incidents of discrimination, and the provision of priority voting services. Rather than waiting until the end of the day to understand what had happened, the Hub allowed TAF Africa to see the election as it unfolded — accessibility gaps, service breakdowns, and moments of good practice surfacing in near real time, not buried in a report written days later. More Than Data Collection — A Command Centre The Hub’s role went beyond gathering numbers. It also served as the coordination centre for the 25 sign language interpreters deployed to 24 polling units across the state, enabling real-time troubleshooting, emergency communication, and swift incident management whenever an interpreter or voter needed support. This dual function — data hub and operations centre — meant that when something went wrong on the ground, it didn’t have to wait to be noticed. It could be flagged, escalated, and addressed while the polls were still open. Capturing the Full Arc of the Day To build a complete, longitudinal picture of the electoral environment, observers were instructed to submit reports at three fixed points: the opening of polls, midday, and the close of polls. This structure allowed the Hub to track not just isolated incidents, but how accessibility and voter experience shifted as the day progressed — from the first ballots cast to the final tally. By the time voting ended, 150 observer reports had been received, processed, and entered into the observation database — a complete dataset spanning every deployed polling unit in the exercise. Turning Real-Time Data into Lasting Insight The PWD Election Hub is more than a control room for a single election day. It is a demonstration of what disability-inclusive election observation can look like when technology, coordination, and clear protocols work together: a system built not just to watch an election happen, but to make sure the experiences of persons with disabilities are documented, understood, and acted on — as they happen, not after the fact. As TAF Africa continues to refine this model, the Hub stands as a template for how future elections across Nigeria can be observed with greater speed, accuracy, and accountability. This operation was carried out by TAF Africa under efforts to strengthen inclusive, credible, and evidence-based election observation in Nigeria.

Breaking the Hearing Impairment Barrier: 25 Sign Language Interpreters Deployed to Support Deaf Voters in Ekiti

Ekiti State — June 2026 Governorship Election For deaf voters, an election is often a silent struggle before it is a civic right. Instructions are shouted across polling units. Procedures are explained once, quickly, in words that never reach them. For years, this communication gap has quietly excluded persons with hearing impairments from fully and independently exercising their right to vote. In Ekiti State, that gap narrowed. Building on the success of a similar deployment in Anambra State, TAF Africa trained and deployed 25 Sign Language Interpreters (SLIs) to polling units with a significant presence of deaf voters during the Ekiti State Governorship Election — a deliberate, targeted push to remove communication barriers and make the ballot box accessible to all.   Preparing the Interpreters Before deployment, the interpreters took part in a one-day virtual training designed to prepare them for the realities of the election environment. The session covered electoral procedures, voter assistance protocols, ethical considerations, communication standards, and the specific roles and responsibilities of an SLI on election day — ensuring that support at the polling unit would be not just present, but professional, consistent, and rights-respecting.   Finding the Voters Who Needed Them Good intentions only translate into impact when they reach the right people in the right places. To make sure they did, TAF Africa partnered with the Association of Sign Language Interpreters of Nigeria (ASLIN) and the Ekiti State Association of the Deaf to identify exactly where deaf voters were registered to vote. By cross-referencing INEC data with the deaf association’s own database, the team mapped registered deaf voters to specific polling units across selected Local Government Areas — turning a broad commitment to inclusion into a precise, data-driven deployment plan.   On the Ground, on Election Day The 25 trained interpreters were deployed to polling units across six LGAs: Ado Ekiti, Ekiti West, Ikere, Ido/Osi, Ijero, and Oye. Of the 25 deployed, 23 successfully supported their assigned deaf voters and submitted deployment reports — a strong completion rate that speaks to both the quality of preparation and the commitment of the interpreters themselves. Their presence meant that electoral information, voting procedures, and voter education messages reached deaf voters clearly and directly — not filtered through guesswork or a well-meaning stranger’s improvised gestures, but communicated by trained professionals who understood both the language and the stakes.   The Numbers Behind the Impact In total, 103 deaf voters received interpretation support across 24 polling units in the six participating LGAs. S/N LGA Polling Units SLIs Deployed Deaf Voters Reached 1 Ado Ekiti 15 14 47 2 Ekiti West 1 1 1 3 Ikere 2 2 5 4 Ido/Osi 1 1 2 5 Ijero 2 2 44 6 Oye 3 3 4 Total   24 23 103 Deaf voters reached with SLI support by LGA during the Ekiti State Governorship Election, 20 June 2026.   A Precedent Worth Repeating Feedback from beneficiaries and stakeholders was consistent: the presence of trained sign language interpreters made a real difference in how deaf voters experienced the election — not as passive recipients of assistance, but as informed, independent participants in the democratic process. More than a single election-day intervention, the initiative sets an important precedent. It shows that with the right partnerships, the right data, and the right training, electoral inclusion for persons with hearing impairments is not an aspiration — it is achievable, replicable, and measurable. As TAF Africa continues to champion inclusive democratic participation, this deployment stands as evidence of what’s possible when accessibility is designed into the electoral process from the start, rather than added as an afterthought.

EU SDGN Inclusivity Cluster Hosts Media Reflection Meeting With Media Executives, Regulators, and PWD Leadership on Media Inclusivity in Ekiti State

Media executives, regulators, development partners, and leaders in the community of persons with disabilities (PWDs) gathered in Ado-Ekiti on May 26, 2026 for a high-level reflection meeting on media inclusivity, aimed at strengthening inclusive media practices in the lead-up to the Ekiti State 2026 Governorship Election and Beyond. The meeting, convened by the EU SDGN Inclusivity Cluster, a partnership including TAF Africa, Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund (NWTF), International Press Centre (IPC), and Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), created a platform for reviewing progress, identifying gaps, and charting actionable pathways for inclusive media engagement. A central focus of the meeting was the role of the media in ensuring equitable political participation. Through expert presentations and discussions, participants explored how media institutions can better amplify the voices and concerns of marginalised groups, particularly persons with disabilities, in electoral processes. Media Partners, Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) and International Press Centre (IPC) led key session on Media Inclusivity and Democratic Participation in Electoral Processes while the participants also reviewed findings from the TAF Africa Media Political Inclusion Index Assessment, highlighting critical gaps in representation and accessibility across media platforms. 

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn