How women performed in the 2015 general elections

The clamour for increased participation of women in politics particularly in elective positions has been going on for long. Several factors such as our patriarchal society, culture, religion, money politics, and violence among others have militated against women’s participation in politics in the country.With the recent 2015 general elections, it seems women’s low participation in […]

The clamour for increased participation of women in politics particularly in elective positions has been going on for long.
Several factors such as our patriarchal society, culture, religion, money politics, and violence among others have militated against women’s participation in politics in the country.
With the recent 2015 general elections, it seems women’s low participation in elective positions have grown from bad to worse.
There is growing concern amongst women that the percentage of their participation in elective positions in the country witnessed decline or nose-dived from 2007 to 2011 and now 2015.
Women have contested for different positions in the four elections held by the country since its return to democratic rule in 1999 but have had poor results, minimal gains and slow progress.
 For instance in 2003, women made up only three percent of elected officials, in 2007 they made seven percent and in 2011 they made up about five percent.
Even before the 2015 general elections, few women emerged as candidates after  the political party primaries.
Though some elections are still to be held in Taraba, Abia and Imo, the results from all other places do not show success for women at the polls.
According to the Deputy Director Gender Division  of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mrs Blessing Obidiegwu,  14 females were elected into the House of Representatives and eight women won as senators in the recent National Assembly election.
Even though there are still some constituencies and places for the House of Assembly elections where INEC hasn’t conducted elections yet in the country, there is little chance that women’s number will increase as many of the candidates are men.
This means that there is going to be only 14 females out of 360 lawmakers. The outgoing seventh assembly has 27 women and only eight of them were re-elected for the 8th assembly.
The incoming senate is also going to have only eight women out of 109 senators.
Chair Women in Politics Forum (WiP), Barrister  Ebere Ifendu said women did not do well in the elections not because they didn’t come out to participate but because the system is still not smooth enough for them.
“Looking at what is going on in Taraba and Akwa Ibom where women contested, there was so much violence and unfortunately we are not going to have as much women as the previous senate. We are not happy with it but we have to re-strategise and see what we can do to have more women participate. Because as it is, we are just back to square one,” Ifendu said.
She said until there is legislation on the  35 percent affirmative action  women will continue to have problems because election is very much monetized, women don’t have resources to match men, and don’t have the strength to be as violent as the men.
According to her there is no genuine internal democracy in the political parties and candidates are handpicked, adding that when one scales party primary he or she has scaled the most hurdle.
She said: “Because there is no internal democracy in political parties, women were not able to come out as candidates. Secondly, because of the tokenism of the free forms that the political parties give women, when it comes to consensus, it is the woman that is often asked to step down. They will rather consider someone who paid for forms, in that they will scheme us out again. It is like giving you something with the right hand and taking it back with the left hand.”
On the way foword she said “ If we can have internal democracy and legislation for affirmative action, we will start having women with quality and capacity contest under their platforms. Let them also give us the opportunity of independent candidacy so that you don’t have to struggle to go through any platform.”
Speaking on the process leading to the 2015 general elections, Gender Advisor, Search for Common Ground Nigeria,  Ene Ede said noticeable retrogressions were identified not only in the number of female candidates who contested March 28th and April 11 Presidential, National Assembly and Governorship and State House of Assembly elections; but in the focus on gender as well.
“The 2007 and 2011 had better focus on processes, issues and candidacy as it concerns women and other marginalized and excluded groups .Only one female presidential candidate contested the 2015 elections; four Female vice-presidential, one main governorship contender and five  deputy governorships; and 15 percent of 1, 774 House of Representatives and 17 percent of 747 Senate seats,” she said.
She said a major constraint was the processes leading to selection and nominations to various offices adding that the election crisis resolution,  mediation platforms and structures were gender-insensitive.
After women’s poor outing in the 2011 general elections, they felt a little bit of succor with the high number of women appointed into all sectors including the judiciary and military by the Jonathan administration.  Infact they recorded 33 percent appointment as ministers and into key positions that were hitherto the exclusive preserve of men.
Will the incoming administration of General Muhammadu Buhari maintain the status quo or give women 35 percent affirmative action in his cabinet and other sectors? Women’s fingers are crossed with the expectation of   “change” even with affirmative action in governance.