IPAC, Cedar Seed Foundation Forge Alliance To Boost Political Inclusion For Women With Disabilities
THE Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has signed a landmark memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Cedar Seed Foundation to strengthen political inclusion for women with disabilities in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, IPAC National Chairman, Mr. Yusuf Mammam, emphasized that the essence of democracy is inclusivity.
“Where any segment of human society is exempted, whether deliberately or inadvertently, democracy is injured. For true democracy, every member of society—able or disabled—must be included,” Mammam said.
He noted that IPAC’s constitution already requires the 19 registered political parties under its umbrella to appoint Persons With Disabilities (PWD) desk officers, adding that political parties would be directed to waive expression of interest forms for PWDs.
“We further advise that every member of the PWD community registers with a political party of their choice. IPAC will continue to support the Cedar Seed Foundation in achieving total inclusion,” he added.
Cedar Seed Foundation’s Push for Representation
Mrs. Lois Auta, Executive Director of Cedar Seed Foundation, hailed the MOU as historic for the disability community, particularly women.
She stressed that the objective is to ensure PWD issues are integrated into all political activities, in line with the Nigerian Disability Act, which provides for a quota in political participation.
“We want inclusiveness in elective and appointive positions for persons with disabilities. Today is a historic day for persons with disabilities in Nigeria,” Auta said.
She urged political parties and stakeholders to embrace inclusion and encouraged women with disabilities to join parties, attend meetings, and become active contributors.
Auta also revealed that the foundation would develop an advocacy plan to push for the implementation of a five per cent reservation for women with disabilities, alongside the Reserved Seats Bill, which calls for dedicated representation for them.
Finally, she urged persons with disabilities to take advantage of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to secure their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the 2027 general elections, stressing that participation is the foundation of representation.
