SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION CIRCLE 2011:

The Discussion Circle on “Nigeria's 2007 elections: how did the women fare?"  was initiated in 2007 and concluded in 2010.

The members discussed on the results for women candidates in the 2007 elections in Nigeria. Although support for female aspirants was massive from women's rights advocates and development agencies, apparently it was not enough to gain more seats. The discussion focused on the need for quota in order to improve representation of women in politics.  

This summary of the discussion circle is based on your contributions and we hope that if you find this interesting you would be interested in participating on ELECTION TALK. To read click here.

Introduction Message:

A score of women contested at the just concluded April elections in Nigeria. In the 2003 elections, women could only muster 6.1% in the lower parliament and 3.7% in the Upper House. Thus it was not surprising that female politicians, civil society groups and development agencies including UNIFEM came all out to support female aspirants through diverse advocacy and sensitization programs in the hope that the percentage of representation of women in politics and public office would increase. After all women constitute about half of the Nigerian population and have been grossly under represented in public office and governance. With most of the results now released, how do you assess the performance of the female aspirants at the polls in terms of campaigns and success? In your estimation, what factors could have contributed to the scorecard emerging. Looking ahead to the 2011 and trying to consolidate on what we have now, what suggestions do you have for better outcomes?