Women Political Participation Would Stimulate Diverse Perspectives, Empower Communities—Women Stakeholders

The Coalition of Women Political Participation Partner’s Working Group advocates for constitutional gender inclusion to increase women’s political participation, which is required for diverse perspectives in decision-making and good governance.

During a meeting to discuss actions that should be taken to ensure gender equality in political representation in the country, the group stated that women’s political participation would stimulate diverse perspectives and empower communities.

At the coordination and strategy meeting on affirmative action reforms to increase women’s political representation in the ongoing constitution review process in Abuja, supported by the United Nations Women, Ms. Ebere Ifendu, President of Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), emphasised the need for affirmative action to strengthen advocacies and effectively influence policymakers in the ongoing constitution review to promote women’s political participation.

She stated: “The Nigerian constitution review provides a unique opportunity to address women’s underrepresentation in politics. We must seize this opportunity to build a more inclusive democracy that recognises the potential of all citizens, regardless of gender. As advocates, we believe affirmative action is an important tool for addressing historical injustices and ensuring women’s equal representation in politics. More women should participate in politics. We need to implement a quota system. We need affirmative action because legislation is the reason why all countries have a certain percentage of women in government. Without legislation, we may be unable to accomplish anything.”

She added that the meeting’s purpose was to coordinate all efforts, including advocacy for the adoption and implementation of reforms to increase women’s political representation in the constitution review process.

“The current constitutional review process provides a unique opportunity to integrate gendered affirmative action reforms into Nigeria’s legal framework, demonstrating a commitment to equity, equality, and inclusivity,” Ifendu stated.

She added, “As Nigerian women, we went to court and obtained a judgement on the National Gender Policy. We believe that now that there has been a judgement, we should begin working on implementation and be able to demand that the court order be followed. We were told that the government has filed an appeal. We have received no notification of such an appeal. So, we want to believe that the law, as it stands today, requires that gender policy be respected, and it calls for 35% affirmative action.”

Professor Joy Ezeilo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and women’s advocate, stated that it is time for total inclusion that accommodates and recognises the rights of women, youths, and people with disabilities to participate in the country’s governance and decision-making.

She said, “We are far behind other countries. So, what exactly are we talking about when we can not operationalize 35 or 30 percent? And we are still talking about something below? Women should not accept less than 35 percent of political positions. We went to Beijing in 1995, and it was agreed that we would receive at least 30% affirmative action more than 25 years ago. We need to find a way to make this constitution more inclusive while also addressing other issues in Nigeria.

“There is also the issue of justice, fairness, and equity in the allocation of resources to benefit all Nigerians. So it is time to take action to right past wrongs, as well as structural inequalities and discrimination against women.

Mrs. Ene Obi, former Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, and the Director of Planning and Statistics at the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development, Jummai-Idonije
emphasised the importance of engaging the legislature, media, grassroots women, and other stakeholders in increasing women’s political representation.

They also called on women politicians to work together and commit to increasing the number of women in leadership positions.

The stakeholders urged the 10th National Assembly to implement a 35 percent affirmative action policy, as seen in other countries and in accordance with international standards, to promote equity, fairness, and justice.

The coordination and strategy meeting, supported by UN Women, aims to unify efforts among diverse organisations to establish a coordinated programmatic approach that leverages the strengths and resources of each participating organisation towards a common goal of advocating for affirmative action reforms to increase women’s political representation.