TAF Africa, in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has taken the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The initiative is aimed at promoting electoral inclusivity ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The two day intervention is funded by the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) project and is designed to eliminate civic barriers affecting vulnerable communities.

The exercise began on Thursday at Yangoji PWD Camp in Kwali Area Council and followed Friday at the Wasa IDP Camp with officials assisting eligible residents to register as voters.

They also replaced lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) with polling unit transfer requests equally processed.

Assistant Programme Manager at TAF Africa, Mr George Dominic said the intervention targeted underserved communities, noting that IDPs and PWDs were often excluded from civic programmes with emphasis that the organisation was determined to change the situation.

“At TAF Africa, our intervention under the EU-SDGN project is to ensure the participation of PWDs and IDPs in the electoral process. This group of persons belong to the underserved communities that are hardly reached when it comes to some of these civic interventions,” Dominic said.

Dominic said the exercise would also benefit first time voters, adding that those seeking replacement of lost or defaced PVCs were being attended to with the hope that the programme would improve participation in the 2027 elections.

INEC Assistant Director, Gender and Inclusivity Department, Dr Perpetual Nwanna reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to inclusive elections, saying the partnership with TAF Africa was bringing voter registration closer to disadvantaged citizens.

“That is why you see us here in partnership with TAF Africa, coming directly to the grassroots to register the less privileged individuals who might not otherwise have the opportunity or the financial means to travel to distant area councils to register,” Nwanna said.

She said INEC had introduced braille ballot guides for visually impaired voters adding that Magnifying glasses would also be provided for persons with albinism with Physically challenged voters expected to receive priority assistance on election day.

Nwanna added that the commission would continue similar sensitization campaigns across the 36 states, saying the goal was to ensure that no eligible Nigerian was denied the opportunity to vote because of disability or location.

TAF Africa Facility and Logistics Officer, Mr Affam Kasim, said similar exercises had been held in Kaduna, Benue and Osun states, disclosing that the organisation would soon move to Ekiti.

He urged eligible residents to register, saying, “your vote is your power.”