Nigeria

Other than serving the purpose of throwing up new leaders, the recent local council elections in Ekiti State presented a study on how state governors could hold back from interfering in people’s choices of leaders at the grassroots, mainstreaming gender inclusion and deepening democratic culture, among other lessons, AYODELE AFOLABI writes.

Stakeholders have advocated the implementation of gender-inclusive policy-making to address the challenges facing women in the country.

This was as Women Trust Fund (WTF) observed that the widening gender gap in political opportunities would worsen issues for women.

Executive director of Baobab for Women Human Rights, Bunmi Dipo-Salami, said the violence against women in politics is rarely reported.

While stressing that the society needs to understand that women are not second-class citizens, she expressed regret that there are still impediments on the paths of women in politics.

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights, a Civil Society Organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of women and girls, has said that about 96 per cent of women, who ran for various positions in the 2023 General Elections, were defeated by their male opponents.

According to the organisation, seven women were elected as deputy governors, four elected for the Senate, 15 for the House of Representatives, while 48 are in state Houses of Assembly.

Udora Orizu chronicles the noteworthy strides being made by the 10th House of Representatives towards improving women’s political representation and end gender based violence in the country.

The 10th House of Representatives, is rekindling hopes of Nigerian women following assurances of legislative reforms to improve women’s political representation, one of which is to revisit the five gender bills rejected during the alteration of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), in  March, 2022.

The United Nations Women (UN Women) has called for an increase in women’s political participation in Nigeria.

Beatrice Eyong, UN Women representative to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), spoke on Tuesday at the national conference on women’s political participation in Nigeria.

The conference was organised in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) to assess women’s participation in the 2023 general election.

The League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV), has expressed concerned over low participation of women in politics and called for urgent measures to reverse the situation.

The President of NILOWV, Irene Ikyegh, stated this at the inauguration of new executive council of the league and fund raising programme, held in Abuja.

Ikyegh said NILOWV was determined to help women play a larger role in government and public affairs in the country.

The Director General of the Nigeria Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, has urged Nigerian political, traditional and religious leaders to emulate Somalia by electing more women to the National Assembly.