From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Ahead of next year’s general elections, ActionAid Nigeria has urged political parties to give women and youth a level playing field.
Its Country Director, Ene Obi, made the appeal at a One-Day Inter-Party Dialogue with the theme: ‘The Role of Political Parties in Achieving an Inclusive & Democratic Process Towards Women and Youth Inclusion in the 2023 Elections’.
She said: “We are here today to dialogue with political parties on addressing the issues of women and youth participation in politics in Nigeria.
“The other side is that it is giving us an opportunity to present some demands to the political parties with the aim to form meaningful inclusiveness in the political process.
“It is an inclusive way by the end of the day we hope that we get the commitment of political parties on what they want to do and how they see women and young people in the electoral process.
“I know that primaries are coming very soon and there are a few women who are aspiring for governorship positions and I know that in 2023, if we come out with 36 male governors it is going to be a disgrace for Nigeria in the political process that women are not carried along.
“Women have been there along the line, this is the time to change the tide and we hope that with the women who are coming out will be given a chance because what we use to have is that women are not coming out and those that have come out have not been given the chance.
“We were told that some of the parties are being given free form collection. How free is that it is in the action that we know and we hope we do not have anything less than 35% representation across board,” she said.
She encouraged every citizen with the opportunity provided by INEC through continue voter registration “to register to make their participation count in the forthcoming election.”