Since 1999 when Nigeria transitioned from military rule to democratic rule, women are yet to occupy up to 50 per cent of elective positions.
The electoral body also said 17 of the 18 registered political parties notified INEC of their intention to conduct party primaries for the Ondo State governorship election fixed for October 10, 2020.In a country where women make up to ideally 49 per cent of the population, one would expect the percentage of women in public offices to be almost to the percentage of men in such offices but that is not the case in Nigeria.
Also, no female governor has been elected into office since the beginning of the fourth republic. The deputy governorship is the highest executive level position women have held since 1999. The importance of having enough funds when vying for a public office, even if it is an appointive position, cannot be overemphasised.Many Nigerian women who desire such positions often suffer setbacks because they could not adhere to the financial obligations required – not forgetting the ‘godfather’ syndrome which exists in Nigeria’s system of governance.
“They just don’t take women seriously enough. PDP is the worst culprit here. There are hardly any youths in the sector. Youth, women, hardly any. She said electoral reform can help with this and the implementation of 35 per cent affirmative action inside political parties. Ms Auta, who is also an activist for people with disability, also noted the lack of support and mentor-mentee relationship among women.“…They will say ‘you are a woman with disability, you don’t have money, you are not from here’ and there was the issue of religion too. Many people called in on radio shows and asked me to drop out of the contest but I was not discouraged.