Out of the 15,303 candidates contesting for various elective positions, only about 1,557 are females.
The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) has called on key actors in the electoral processes to address the issue of violence against women believed to be responsible for the low participation of Nigerian women in politics.
The association made the call yesterday, in Abuja, during the launch and opening of a Situation Room to observe the participation of women and violence perpetrated against women in the 2023 general elections.
Speaking at the occasion, the Country Vice President/ National President, Mrs. Amina Agbaje, lamented that despite women constituting about 50 per cent of Nigeria’s population, their level of political participation and representation was increasingly very poor.
Agbaje added that out of the 15,303 candidates contesting for various elective positions, only about 1,557 are females.
“Ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, we have observed that only few women emerged as candidates of political parties. For instance, out of 18 candidates contesting for the coveted seat, only one is female. Furthermore, among 1,101 candidates contesting for the 109 seats in the Nigerian Senate, only 92 are females,” she said.
She added, “Current statistics of women in parliament in Nigeria confirm that women representation in parliament has been on a steady decline, nine per cent in 2007; seven per cent in 2011; five per cent in 2015 and less than 10 per cent in the 9th National Assembly.
“Using the 2015 figures, there are only four women deputy governors in all of Nigeria’s 36 states. While factors militating against women participation are varied, a major cause hindering effective participation of women in politics is the issue of violence”, she said.
Presenting findings of the association’s Pre-election Assessment on Women Political Participation and Violence Threats Ahead 2023 General Election, Agbaje identified Borno, Plateau, Kaduna and Kwara as “key hotspots and areas that will militate against women participation” in the 2023 general elections.
The national president in addition identified factors such as economic hardship, discrimination against women, kidnapping, assassination, ethnic, religious and communal clashes, inadequate presence of security agencies, party thugs and hate speech amongst others that can trigger violence against women in the elections.
“In the light of the foregoing, key actors in the electoral processes particularly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties, security agencies, mass media and civil society organisations need to pay increasing attention to the identified risk factors limiting women participation with a view to tackling them headlong,” she said.