Women have been admonished to strengthen unity and build alliances with relevant stakeholders in order to increase political Inclusion.
Women Candidates are also encouraged to start early engagement at the grassroots in local languages and not wait till election season.
These were part of the resolutions at the just concluded Women Virtual Summit ,organised by the The Voice of Women .
Themed “Using Grassroots Influence to Power Females in Governance,”the meeting featured grassroots women, female leaders, policymakers and advocates who spoke on actions which promote women’s political inclusion in Nigeria.
The Minister of Women Affairs Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, in her keynote address underscored the importance of unity and collective action in powering the inclusion agenda.
She equally advocated legislative reforms, grassroots engagement while emphasising women’s indispensable role in national development
“When women unite, mountains move. The Special Seats Bill is not just important, it’s imperative for Nigeria’s democratic balance. We must unite for Nigeria’s prosperity and unity. Sulaiman-Ibrahim reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring the swift passage of the Special Seats Bill.” The Minister said .
Another speaker and lawmaker representing Oluyole Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe in her remarks charged women to always prepare to face the initial challenge of resistance when aspiring for political position
Accirfing to the female federal legislator , the current political landscape still reflects the stark gender disparity, saying as of today, women make up less than 10% of the members of the National Assembly.
She therefore appealed to the Nation not to silent the voices of women, who make up more than half of the country’s population in critical decision-making bodies.
Gill Lever, British Deputy High Commissioner to Abuja urged women not to allow society to judge them or limit their capacity in balancing multiple roles with governance.
The diplomat noted that women must unite to become an unstoppable force.
In her submission, Barrister Ebere Ifendu, President of Women in Politics Forum warned that the Special Seats Bill will fail without grassroots women’s support and noted that “We must educate every women to vote wisely, not out of ignorance.”
Taiwo Adeleye, Programs Officer for Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation unveiled a groundbreaking data on why Grassroots Women Don’t Vote for Women.
The data supported by MacArthur Foundation surveyed women across Nigeria’s 36 states and FCT on barriers to women’s political inclusion reinforcing urgent need for engagement with political parties, grassroots women voters and custodians of our culture.
The data revealed that 82% respondents cited lack of women not presented as candidates by political parties as major reason for voting men over women. 76% respondents said they were influenced by party leaders, their husbands, spiritual leaders and a culture that women cannot lead. 68% cited a lack of empathy for women in power who are arrogant and inaccessible while 42% cited inexperience as reason for not voting women.
Sherifat Taleat Executive Director, IyaMopo Centre for Peace and Edidiong Enang Program Manager of Vilonia International Foundation who both worked on the field with grassroots women in Oyo and Akwa Ibom states called for tactical unity organised blocs of women voters, advised women in office to make themselves accessible to their constituencies and urged women to understand community needs and tailor agendas to suit their needs.
Bilikisu Yakubu of Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative who contested elections in 2019 urged female aspirants not to wait for election time before engaging grassroots women.
Hon. Rukayatu Shittu of Kwara State House of Assembly emphasised humility as a virtue for political success urging any woman that wishes to go into politics to identify with the grassroots with continuous engagement and to be accessible.
Irene Awunah Ikyegh President The League of Women Voters of Nigeria rallied stakeholders to collaborate and support women candidates unconditionally.
Part of the meeting’ s call to action urged political parties to make conceretd and deliberate efforts to field and endorse more female candidates.
It also urges Women to continuously dialogue with cultural and religious leaders and engage with their constituencies with regular scorecards.
Stakeholders equally charged women to come together as one indivisible entity to support one another in leadership and in governance