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?