BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights (BAOBAB), a non-governmental organization (NGO), has enjoined women and their male allies to vote for gender-aware candidates, who have the interest of women and girls at heart in the forthcoming elections.
In a statement the Executive Director of BAOBAB, Bunmi Dipo-Salami, asserted that candidates who understand the issues and struggles of women and have shown concern in addressing such over the years would change the negative narrative on gender equality.
‘… The elections on February 25 and March 11 have presented another opportunity to vote in such candidates.
‘As we all know, politics is a game of numbers and records have shown that more women vote during elections.
‘While you cast your vote, remember that we need to bring in competent, capable, and compassionate leaders, whether male or female, who will prioritize women’s development for the benefit of the nation,’ the statement read in part.
She called on women to remember the campaign promises made by all the candidates and identify those who included the needs of women in their manifestos and also proved how the needs could be met. She also charged women to also recall the antecedents of those who had been voted for in the past and assess how women and girls fared under their watch.
‘Look out for those with plans of appointive positions for women; candidates who have transformative plans for the education of the girl-child; those who will prioritize good quality and affordable healthcare for women and girls; candidates that will fight against all forms of gender-based violence; candidates that can take Nigerian women out of poverty so as to enable them live meaningfully in the society,’ Dipo-Salami urged.
BAOBAB called on the electorate not to be carried away by the temporary gifts of food, cash and other incentives, which had been the strategy of vote buying and selling.
‘Voting for candidates who believe in women’s inclusion, who will advance their interests and position them in critical areas is in the best interest of the country,’ she added.
The NGO lamented that the call for an increase in the representation of women in governance and other leadership positions had remained a mirage in Nigeria, with several factors militating against the achievement of the demand for many decades, especially since the advent of the Fourth Republic.
‘With a total of 93,469,008 citizens, which comprises 49,054,162 males and 44,414,846 females who are eligible to vote in the general elections, records from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that only about 10% of the candidates are women.
‘Only one out of eighteen presidential candidates is a woman, and not a single woman is being fielded as a vice-presidential candidate.
‘Women constitute only 6% of the 416 candidates contesting governorship across the 36 states, only 8.4% of the 1,101 candidates gunning for senatorial seats are women, and of the 3,122 candidates contesting 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,’ the statement further read.
It said the poor representation of women in elected offices, which is both a cause and effect of persistent inequality and discrimination against women, exacerbates the silent pandemic of gender-based violence, continuous relegation of women to the background, lack of support for the implementation of laws that favour women and girls and feminization of poverty, among other issues.
Expressing the belief that what a woman can not do cannot be done, Dipo-Salami appealed to the electorate to vote for Nigerians who would bring in women to help heal the land and also called on the government to ensure that security agencies protect voters and peace reigns at all polling units so that Nigerians, especially women, could cast their votes with no threat to their lives.
‘The time to change Nigeria for the better is NOW. Vote capacity. Vote track record. Vote to advance women’s progress. Vote commitment. Vote WISELY!’ BAOBAB appealed.
Edited by Amaka E. Nliam
