The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Thursday, 7 October 2021, released the final list of candidates for the 6 November 2021 Anambra Governorship Elections. The analysis of this list as done by KDI revealed that women’s under-representation continues. Of the 18 governorship candidates, no woman is vying for the number one seat in the state.
In contrast, only seven (7) women made the final list of the deputy governorship candidates, which makes 38.89% of the total number. The aforementioned are indicators that the rules of play in Nigeria’s political arena without a special measure to address women’s political marginalization will continually leave us with questions on inclusive governance. This shows the importance of the Supporting Advancement of Gender Equality (SAGE) advocacy in Nigeria’s ongoing constitutional amendment process.
With the support of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), SAGE seeks to increase women’s political representation in Nigeria through legal reforms. Currently, SAGE is strategically eliciting commitments from stakeholders at the state level to pave the way for the passage of the gender bills, especially HB 1301 when the NASS transmit them to the state legislature. KDI calls all stakeholders to throw their weight behind this advocacy towards an inclusive democracy.
