…says it is time to review the National Gender Policy and similar initiatives
Mrs. Nonye Soludo, wife of the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has called for broader review of National Gender Policy and supporting bills to ensure greater involvement of women in political representation in Nigeria.
The governor’s wife made the statement in Awka while assessing performance of female candidates that vied for different representative positions in the just-concluded elections.
The First lady’s remarks followed recent review conducted by a leading national daily, which revealed that 96 per cent of women who contested various positions in the election lost to their male counterparts.
The review disclosed that a total of 1,553 women were on the ballot for the presidential, governorship, national and state assemblies’ elections held on February 25 and March 18, 2023.
However, out of a total of 15,307 candidates who contested under the 18 registered political parties during the 2023 general elections, males constituted 13,754, which represented 89.8 per cent while the 1,553 female candidates represented 10.1 per cent.
It further revealed that analysis of the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that only 72 women got elected at federal and state levels, while 1,487 lost.
Describing the results as unsatisfactory, considering the great role women have played in the socio-political development of Nigeria, Mrs Soludo said it has become pertinent to make the country’s overall political framework friendly to women.
She said, “It is time to review the National Gender Policy and similar initiatives, with the aim of giving them strong legal backing to give women better support and encourage them to take part in politics.
“It will be impractical to talk about women involvement in politics if obvious political and social impediments are not removed.”
Soludo’s wife further called on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to come up with incentives to encourage women take part in political contests, including cutting down on cost of purchasing forms for women.
Congratulating the women who won in the elections, Mrs Soludo asked them to serve with the kind of humaneness, compassion and vision that women are known for, and remember to use their positions to affect the lives of other women.
