Hot SourceFunmi Ogundare
With just weeks to the November governorship election in Anambra State, ElectHER, a Pan-African non-partisan organisation promoting gender-inclusive democracy, has secured fresh commitments from electoral stakeholders and security agencies to deliver credible, peaceful and inclusive polls.
At a two-day engagement that combined a multi-stakeholder roundtable in Awka with advocacy visits to key institutions, participants pledged concrete actions ranging from expanded INEC ad hoc staff recruitment and improved polling unit management to preventive security deployments and gender-sensitive protection measures.
The Stakeholder Engagement Roundtable held recently at the Radisson Onyx Hotel, brought together representatives of INEC, security agencies, political parties, civil society groups, academia, the media, and grassroots leaders, with support from the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme.
ElectHER Chief Executive Officer, Ibijoke Faborode, emphasised the paradox in Anambra politics.
She stated that women account for 58 per cent of new voter registrants in the state yet occupy just 0.6 per cent of elected positions.
“We cannot allow insecurity and systemic exclusion to silence women in a state where they form such a significant share of the electorate,” she said, noting the need to bridge the gap between voter strength and representation.
Participants recommended enhanced fact-checking by the media, electronic transmission of results, better deployment of BVAS, and stronger efforts to counter fake news.
Civil society groups warned that misinformation, insecurity and weak political party commitments remain significant barriers to women’s participation.
ElectHER also extended its advocacy to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), where the state Commandant Maku Olatunde reaffirmed the corps’ commitment to safeguard the elections with adequate deployment of female officers to ensure inclusivity in security operations.
Faborode stated that it will consolidate insights from the engagements into advocacy briefs and mobilisation campaigns targeting women and youth, while sustaining efforts to advance systemic reforms, including the Independent Candidacy Bill and the Reserved Seats Bill.
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