The Independent National Electoral Commission has continued to review of its process in the last general election. This time around, the electoral body is considering women participation in the elections, in a two-day workshop organised in partnership with the European Centre for Electoral Support.
Moyo Thomas reports that gender disparity in Nigeria’s electoral process has remained a huge challenge given that Nigeria has a National gender Policy that has remained unfulfilled
Participation of women in the political process falls short of the statutory 35% as stated in the gender policy. Promotion of gender equality and ensuring adequate women participation in the electoral process falls on state and non state actors alike, hence Hence the workshop by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
As at the last general election in Nigeria, there were 2, 970 female candidiates across all political parties, only 62 of this figure eventually won at the polls.
At state level, 1067 candidates contested for the gubernatorial seats, but only 80 of these contenders were women.
Some of the participants are INEC gender desk officers from all States of the country, with the responsibility of addressing gender inequality
They speak on their experiences on the field in the last General election.
The bulk of the blame on gender inequality falls on political parties. But it is also imperative that strategies are put in place to overcome such challenges caused by culture and financial factors.
