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.
The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.
In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.
“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.
“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.
Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”
On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.
Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
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