Nigeria Decides: Vote for Candidates that will prioritise women’s development, Baobab advises

The call for an increase in the representation of women in governance and other leadership positions has remained a mirage in Nigeria, with several factors militating against it, especially since the advent of the Fourth Republic.

Although a total of 93,469,008 citizens, comprising 49,054,162 males and 44,414,846 females are eligible to vote in this year’s general election, records from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that only about 10 per cent of the candidates are women.

According to the Executive Director, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, Bunmi Dipo-Salami, only one out of 18 presidential candidates is a woman, and not a single woman is being fielded as vice presidential candidate.

Similarly, women constitute only six per cent of the 416 candidates contesting for governorship across the 36 states. Only 8.4 per cent of the 1,101 candidates gunning for senatorial seats are women; and of the 3,122 candidates contesting for seats at the House of Representatives, only 288 are women. At the level of the sub-national legislatures, only 1,046 out of the 10,225 candidates are women.

Speaking on the situation, Dipo-Salami said: “This current situation is far worse than what we had in previous elections and this decline gives us grave concern at Baobab. This is because the poor representation of women in elective offices, which is both a cause and effect of persistent inequality and discrimination against women exacerbates the silent pandemic of gender-based violence, the continuous relegation of women to the background, the lack of support for the implementation of laws that favour women and girls, the feminisation of poverty, among others.

“Much as Nigerian women cannot turn back the hands of the clock, we must make a statement with the elections by being strategic and deliberate in choosing candidates with a track record of making room for the intelligent, strong and dynamic women at the table.”

Dipo-Salami therefore enjoined women and male allies to vote for those who have the interest of women and girls at heart and understand their issues and struggles.

She further stressed that with politics being a game of numbers and the evidence that more women vote during elections, “while you cast your vote, remember that we need to bring in competent, capable and compassionate leaders, whether male or female, who will prioritise women’s development for the benefit of the nation.”

She added: “Gender-aware candidates will change the negative narrative on gender equality and February 25 and March 11 present us with another opportunity to make this happen. We must remember the various campaign promises made by all the candidates and be able to identify those candidates who have included the needs of women in their manifestos and also proven well how these needs can be met. We must also recall the antecedents of those of them to whom we had given our mandate in the past and assess how women and girls fared under their watch.

“As you go to cast your votes for your preferred candidates, look out for those with plans of appointive positions for women; candidates who have transformative plans for the education of the girl-child; those who will prioritise good quality and affordable healthcare for women and girls; candidates that will fight against all forms of gender-based violence; candidates that can take Nigerian women out of poverty so as to enable them live meaningfully in the society.”

While calling on the electorate not to be carried away by the temporary gifts of food, cash and other incentives, which has been the strategy of vote buying and selling, she urged the government to ensure that security agencies protect voters and make sure that peace reigns at all polling units so that Nigerians, especially women can cast their votes with no threats to their lives.