Nigeria Decides: Vote for Candidates that will prioritise women’s development, Baobab advises
Source: The Guardian Nigeria
The call for an increase in the representation of women in governance and other leadership positions has remained a mirage in Nigeria, with several factors militating against it, especially since the advent of the Fourth Republic.
Although a total of 93,469,008 citizens, comprising 49,054,162 males and 44,414,846 females are eligible to vote in this year’s general election, records from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that only about 10 per cent of the candidates are women.
According to the Executive Director, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, Bunmi Dipo-Salami, only one out of 18 presidential candidates is a woman, and not a single woman is being fielded as vice presidential candidate.
Similarly, women constitute only six per cent of the 416 candidates contesting for governorship across the 36 states. Only 8.4 per cent of the 1,101 candidates gunning for senatorial seats are women; and of the 3,122 candidates contesting for seats at the House of Representatives, only 288 are women. At the level of the sub-national legislatures, only 1,046 out of the 10,225 candidates are women.
Click here to read the full article published by The Guardian Nigeria on 18 February 2023.
The call for an increase in the representation of women in governance and other leadership positions has remained a mirage in Nigeria, with several factors militating against it, especially since the advent of the Fourth Republic.
Although a total of 93,469,008 citizens, comprising 49,054,162 males and 44,414,846 females are eligible to vote in this year’s general election, records from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that only about 10 per cent of the candidates are women.
According to the Executive Director, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, Bunmi Dipo-Salami, only one out of 18 presidential candidates is a woman, and not a single woman is being fielded as vice presidential candidate.
Similarly, women constitute only six per cent of the 416 candidates contesting for governorship across the 36 states. Only 8.4 per cent of the 1,101 candidates gunning for senatorial seats are women; and of the 3,122 candidates contesting for seats at the House of Representatives, only 288 are women. At the level of the sub-national legislatures, only 1,046 out of the 10,225 candidates are women.
Click here to read the full article published by The Guardian Nigeria on 18 February 2023.