Only three out of 51 candidates vying for the governorship in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa states, only are women, a report has shown.
The report titled, ‘The 2023 Off-cycle Elections: Evaluating Gender Representation Before the Vote,’ was unveiled by a Civil Society Organisation, known as ElectHER.
According to report off-cycle elections are scheduled to be held in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states on Saturday, November 11.
The report notes that “Out of 51 candidates in the off-cyle elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi, only three are women.
“A marked lack of emphasis on bolstering women’s political engagement prevails, primarily attributed to the inadequate comprehension of the opportunity cost associated with increased women’s representation in decision-making roles,
“Furthermore, while concerted efforts are being made by CSOs and development partners to advance women’s participation at the federal level, the sub-national levels receive little attention.”
Addressing a press conference on the forthcoming off-cycle elections in Abuja on Tuesday, founder and chief executive officer of ElectHER, Ibijoke Faborode, said there is a need for “improved consideration” for women’s participation in politics and governance.
Faborode said the discourse about women’s participation in politics must go beyond “surface” conversations.
She said, “There is a need for improved consideration in ensuring that women are pushed forward as candidates. One information we could not access despite all the efforts is the number of female aspirants.”
“Elections produce leaders. When we don’t have women playing at this level, we limit the extent to which we can grow and develop as a country.
“The more we have surface conversations about women’s participation in politics, the less and less stakeholders take it seriously.”