Nigeria

FOLLOWING the release of the final list of presidential and national assembly candidates for the 2023 general election, the Women In Politics Forum (WIPF), on Monday, lamented the low number of female candidates contesting the 2023 general election.

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the United Nations has called on the media to ensure that female politicians are granted the same access as their male counterparts.

This was made known by the representative of the United Nations Women, Ms Beatrice Eyong, at a programme held for media executives in Lagos .

Stakeholders in the electoral process in Nigeria, including the United States-based National Democratic Institute have expressed concern over the exclusion of women as running mates in the presidential primaries for the 2023 elections.

They, therefore, emphasised the need for the media to beam attention on the marginalisation of women in the last presidential primaries by political parties.

The Kaduna state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Asmau Maikudi, has stated that 35 women are among the various political parties’ candidates for the 2023 general elections in Kaduna state.

Addressing a one day sensitisation and enlightenment meeting with women contestants and other stakeholders at the Kaduna state INEC headquarters on Thursday, Asmau called for more political support and political position for Nigerian women.

A report by the Gender Strategy Advancement International, GSAI, has disclosed that women political participation in Nigeria falls below the world and African continental  standards.

According to the report, the national average of women’s political participation in Nigeria remain at 6.7 percent in elective and appointive positions, which it said, is far below the global average of 22.5 per cent, Africa regional average of 23.4 percent and West African Sub Regional Average of 15 percent.

Within the context of the ongoing Constitutional Review Process and the background of extremely low participation and representation of women in Nigerian politics, the Government of Canada in partnership with UN Women signed a grant agreement of $8 Million Canadian Dollars (CAD) to implement a programme titled ‘The ADVANCE: Women’s Political Participation in Nigeria’.