INEC CHAIRMAN ADVOCATES INCREASED PARTICIPATION AND REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN ELECTORAL PROCESS AND ELECTIVE POSITIONS

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has advocated for improved participation of women in the electoral process and in occupying elective positions. He argued that: “We share in the concern about the growing imbalance in the percentage of women representation in elective positions of authority at all levels mainly because it undermines the true essence of representative democracy”.
Professor Yakubu made the call yesterday, at an INEC engagement with Political Parties on Women Participation in the Electoral Process, with support from International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), USAID, UKAID and International Republican Institute (IRI), held at Rockview Royale Hotel, Abuja.

Represented by National Commissioner, Anthonia Okoosi-Simbine, the INEC Chairman explained that the Commission’s concern is rooted in the fact that gender imbalance logically impinges on our claim of free and fair elections when the result shows glaring marginalization along gender lines.

Professor Yakubu reiterated INECs resolve to foster gender responsive electoral system in the country through effective mainstreaming of gender in its plans, processes and programmes and the development of the INEC Gender Policy to articulate an institutionalized approach to gender mainstreaming in the management of the electoral process.

He lamented that despite efforts by the Commission to improve women participation in the electoral process, the outcome of the 2015 elections showed a decline in the percentage of female candidates who clinched elective seats, giving an example of the recently held FCT Local Council elections, where out of a total of 68 elective positions, no female candidate was produced.

The INEC Chairman however averred that “the Commission is of the believe that a lot can be achieved if Political Parties showed greater political will by supporting and considering women to enable them emerge as candidates in electoral contests and in the party structure”.

Senate Committee Chairman on INEC, Abubakar Kyari, represented by Senator Olushola Adeyeye, hailed the contribution of women to national development, he said: “The Nigerian woman has always demonstrated zeal and enthusiasm in the electoral process since independence. Their support and loyalty to party and candidate has never been in doubt”.

He observed that: “politics in Nigeria has always been seen as a game of the muscular gender, women politicians in Nigeria have suffered what I can describe as psychological backlash, where they are to be seen and not to be taken seriously in matters of leadership positions especially when it comes to elected positions at various political levels”.

“The time has come in this millennium that the political parties should not suffocate the women but rather boost trust and confidence in them. In my candid opinion, for women to be effectively and efficiently represented in Nigerian politics, the need to first initiate a deliberate policy or even make laws that will allow them to occupy some sensitive positions in our political parties,” He said.

Senator Kyari, called on INEC to come up with an institutional framework in form of deliberate policies to create true playing ground for our women politicians.

National Commissioner in charge of Outreach and Partnership Committee, Professor, Anthonia Okoosi-Simbine, represented by the Commissions Director of Voter Education and Publicity, pointed out that “statistics on Human Development showed clearly that the level of a country’s human development more often than not, goes pari passu with the percentage of women in parliament being an indicator of the status of women in a country and their participation and contribution to the development process of their countries”.

She called on Political Parties to consider implementing a gender quota system in distributing party tickets to candidates contesting elections on their platform, urging them to identify and eliminate all known obstacles working against women’s political aspirations.

The National Commissioner also encouraged them to effect necessary policy adjustments to reflect gender sensitivity and equity in their internal processes, structure and power sharing.

INECs Deputy Director in charge of the Gender Division, Mrs Blessing Obidegwu, stressed that the trend in the performance of women in previous elections has not been encouraging. She explained that statistics show a steady decline in the percentage of women elected into offices from 11% in 2007 to 8% in 2011 down to 5.6 % in 2015. If this trend is continues, there might be no woman elected into any office in the next general election,” she argued.

She called for more open spaces in political parties to allow women ascend executive positions, as she argued that it will improve their influence on party policies, platform development and ultimately political visibility and ratio representation.

The event also had in attendance, the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Electoral and Political Party Affairs, Aisha Jibrin Duku, representative of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Director Women and Gender Affairs in the ministry, Mrs Eghobamien Mshelia, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Development Partners like IRI and IFES who all pledged support for INECs push for greater women participation and representation in the electoral process and occupation of elective positions at all levels.