Politics
Women Urged To Fund Female Candidates During Polls
A member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, Professor Funmi Para-Mallam, has urged women to unite and fund female political candidates during elections.
Para-Mallam, a specialist in Gender and Development Studies, made the call while summarising commitments by various women groups at the National Women’s Dialogue, tagged the Womanifesto 2019.
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), religious groups, ethnic groups, market women groups and others attended the three-day dialogue.
According to her, women should unite, choose good female representatives that will protect and advocate for their rights, as well as fund the election to enable more women to participate in political elective positions.
She said “We cannot get this done without sacrifices. We have to make sacrifices, put our money where our mouths are. Let’s bring out our widow’s mite,’’ she said.
Chairperson, House Committee on Electoral Reforms, House of Representatives, Mrs Aisha Dukku, called on more women to join political parties to enable them to choose female candidates to represent the party during elections.
She reiterated the need for female political aspirants to be accessible to people at the grassroots, not only during elections, to enable them to emerge victorious.
The Chief Whip, House of Representatives, Ms Nkiruka Onyejiocha, called for more female representation in governance to enable them to implement laws like the Child Rights Act, which would further address issues concerning women and children.
On her part, Senator Abiodun Olujimi advised women to mentor and encourage young women to participate actively in politics.
She said, “The time has come for us to be willing to be mentors, let us drop all the airs and stop running away from women. Let us help each other and it is in doing this that we get to where we are going.”
Wife of Ekiti State Governor and Founder of African Women Development Fund, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, stressed the need for women to speak with one voice to address gender-based violence and discrimination against women.
She said, “We want a Nigeria where girls can reach their full potential, be given appointments without trade by barter, be treated with due respect and not as sex slaves, where they can aspire to be Presidents, Senators and others.”
The Director General, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Mrs Mary Ekpere-Eta, said that the dialogue was a clear demonstration of women’s commitment toward promoting gender equality and empowerment of women.
She said “It is important for us to reflect as women, what we want, following the poor outcomes for women in the 2019 general elections and representations at all levels of governance.
“This occasion is indeed a time for Nigerian women to set goals for ourselves and with our daughters, who are the emerging generation side-by-side with us to shape a future and a tomorrow where no one is left behind and gender equality is a norm.’’
The Component Manager, Access to Justice for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities, Rule Of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Project, Mrs Priscilla Ankut, stressed the need to end all forms of gender based violence.
She added that the Nigeria Sexual Offender Register and the Sexual and Gender Based Violence Referal Guidelines would help to address the plight of women and prosecute the perpetrators of the act.
He predicted that before the next election cycle, Abia’s political landscape would witness broken alliances, surprising mergers, and new contenders emerging from within established networks.
Prophet Arogun concluded with a broader appeal to Nigeria’s political leaders, emphasizing the need for justice, peace, and integrity in public governance.
“Nigeria is the assignment. Only righteousness will stabilize this nation. Only fairness will preserve the mandate. Let those who have ears hear”, he said softly.
Senator Makarfi’s resignation comes on the heels of the national convention that saw the emergence of the new Chairman of PDP, Dr Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN).
In his letter of resignation, which was addressed to the PDP BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and made available to journalists in Kaduna on Monday evening, the former governor said, “Chairman and Members of the Board of Trustees may recall that about two months ago I had resigned as Secretary of the Board and posted same on the Board’s WhatsApp platform.
“Mr Chairman, you may also recall that you personally urged me to stay on until after a convention that produced a Chairman.”
He added that the principal reason he initially tendered his resignation then “and now, was and is still my belief that the National Chairman of the Party and Secretary of the Board of Trustees should not come from the same geopolitical zone.
“Now that a chairman has emerged from the North West, where I come from, it’s necessary to give him full space to do the needful. Accordingly, I hereby formally resign as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party with effect from today, November 17th, 2025.”
While commending the BoT Chairman for his support during his tenure as Secretary of the Board, he stressed, “I truly appreciate the very respectful relationship between us during my period as Secretary,” adding that, “I also appreciate all Board members for their support and the good relationship that prevailed during my period as Secretary.”
Meanwhile, Dr Turaki on Monday pledged to ensure that power returns to the Nigerian people, urging the judiciary to uphold the tenets of democracy.
Dr Turaki, while giving his acceptance speech after the swearing-in of new officers at the end of the Elective Convention of the PDP in Ibadan, assured that there will be “no more impunity, no more suppression of the will of Nigerians”.
The chairman appealed to the judiciary to uphold the principles of stare decision, abiding by the decisions of the Supreme Court, and not to “willingly or unwillingly put yourselves in a situation where, rightly or wrongly, it may be assumed, correctly or incorrectly, that you are part and parcel of the process to truncate Nigerian democracy.”
According to him, the new leadership of the party would be open to listening to the yearnings of members, with a view to aligning with their will, declaring that “No more monkey dey work, baboon dey chop,” adding that “if baboon wants to chop, baboon must be seated to work.”
He noted that the PDP has maintained its original name, motto and logo, unlike the other parties that started with it, making it a recognised brand anywhere in Nigeria.
