A former Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Olubunmi Adelugba, expressed sadness about the decreasing number of women in positions that they are elected to, even though organizations not affiliated with the government have been trying to increase awareness for more involvement of female politicians in politics.
Adelugba talked in Abuja on Thursday during the introduction of Network of Female Politicians For More.
This effort is focused on promoting a higher number of women holding elected positions before the 2027 general elections.
To further emphasize her concern, she remembered that only four out of the current 109 Senators are women and 17 others had a hard time keeping their seats in the House of Representatives.
Her worry comes five months after First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, called for active involvement of women to reshape the nation and address the issues affecting women. The link to this can be found at: https://punchng.com/nation-building-remi-tinubu-solicits-active-womens-participation/
When speaking at the launch of the network, the former speaker promised that the network would have an important role in ensuring the goal is reached as the 2027 elections approach.
She stated, “This is a growing concern for well-meaning Nigerians, whether state or non-state actors. Available statistics show that the national average of women’s political participation in Nigeria has remained at 6.7 per cent in elective and appointive positions, which is far below the global average of 22.5 per cent, African regional average of 23.4 per cent, and the West African sub-regional average of 15 per cent.
“Currently, only four out of 109 Senators are women and only 17 out of 360 House of Representatives members are women. The situation is similar at the local level, where only 48 out of 988 state assembly seats are held by women. There is currently no female governor and only six out of 36 deputy governors are women.”
According to her, the underwhelming performance of some female candidates and aspirants in the general elections of 2023 showed that there is a need for networks and relevant players to collaborate on including women at all levels.
The European Union delegation to Nigeria during the 2024 International Women Day’s celebration weeks ago urged political parties to adopt strong measures and strategies to increase women’s participation and representation. The link to this can be found at: https://punchng.com/iwd-eu-urges-political-parties-to-increase-womens-participation-in-politics/