Women leaders from Bersatu, DAP, and PKR have urged the government to implement affirmative action policies to bring more women into political positions.

Wanita Bersatu secretary Nolee Ashilin Radzi said it was time Putrajaya enacted a law to realise the target of 30% representation of women in politics.

Speaking to the Council’s annual meeting in Geneva on protecting the rights of women and girls, the UN High Commissioner said it was an urgent task, and there needed to be zero-tolerance of gender-based violence.

He highlighted the alarming reality that female human rights defenders, women journalists, and those in public office and political decision-making positions, routinely come under “vicious” attack.

Two aspiring female presidential candidates failed to submit their nomination papers last week due to payment challenges.

One of the female presidential candidates, Elisabeth Valerio, of the United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA) complained that despite having paid her nomination fees, she had been informed by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) that her payment in local currency had not been processed and that she would need to produce a cash payment of US$20 000.

The Women Rights Initiative (WORI), an NGO has advocated for increased representation of women and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in governance.

Its Executive Director, Dr Laiatu Bamaiyi, made the appeal in her Sallah message to Muslims in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.

She appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi, to appoint more women and PWDs in their administration to give them a sense of belonging.