The doctrines of democratic governance and human rights are premised on the notion of equal participation by all citizens in any country. This is why it is important for women to have equal and meaningful representation and participation in all facets of governance.
Women constitute more than half the world’s population, yet their participation in electoral and governance processes – where decisions regarding their lives are made – remains peripheral in many countries. And Nigeria is no different in this global trend.
In addition to having a legal framework that values gender equality and equity in politics, Nigeria is a signatory to many declarations aimed at increasing women’s leadership and decision-making. This is a positive development which counterbalances the constituency-based electoral system viewed by some as highly competitive and not friendly to women who have ambitions to become parliamentarians.
Despite the fact that Nigeria is signatory to several normative frameworks that seek the inclusion of women in major decision-making organs, the reality is still dire. Nigeria currently has just 28 women in total as against 441 men representation in the National Assembly. And with harmonized elections (presidential, parliamentary, senate and local government) due in in the forthcoming election, it is important to reflect on the intersection of political participation and gender inequality in the country.
Although the Constitution requires all political parties to meet the constitutional provisions on gender parity and equal political opportunities, patriarchy remains widespread, and there seems to be a deliberate reluctance by political parties to appreciate the need for affirmative measures towards gender parity.
The very low percentage of women successfully nominated, or directly elected, is evident that political parties seem to have favored male candidates over females for constituency seats. Furthermore, the political landscape in Nigeria remains a man’s world as a number of obstacles perpetually work against women’s participation in public institutions or politics.
“It goes without saying that when the electoral environment is patriarchal and prejudiced, women are automatically marginalized.”
In order to achieve significant representation of women in Parliament, the country requires not just a gender sensitive legislative framework, but the political will of those in power. The composition of candidates for the forthcoming elections indicates that political parties have largely ignored a commitment to gender balance. Despite coming up with good policies, Nigerian political parties have failed to implement them, as they continue to allow other ‘political’ considerations to take precedence in the fielding of candidates.
Deeply rooted patriarchal practices
The manner and process in which the party primaries were approached by different political parties revealed some irregularities and manipulation of set procedures and criteria. Acts of violence against women, aimed at intimidating and silencing women’s voices in politics, as well as non-compliance with the Constitution by political parties during appointments and candidate selection criteria in terms of gender balance, were reported. Many female politicians complained of the hostile and prejudiced environment where abuse, gender-based invectives and campaigns of slurs were common. a senior political leader, was reportedly labeled a “prostitute” by demonstrators during a leadership wrangle earlier this year. It goes without saying that when the electoral environment is patriarchal and prejudiced, women are automatically marginalized.
It is for this and other reasons that it is argued that while the gender sensitive legislative framework and other measures can increase the number of women in Parliament, they might not be a panacea to the deep rooted socio-economic and political factors leading to the marginalization of women in electoral politics.
Ensuring gender equality in political and electoral spheres in Nigeria requires not only a comprehensive legal framework, but also the collaborative efforts of relevant state and non-state actors. These include not only Parliament, but government ministries, statutory commissions responsible for gender issues, the judiciary, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as well as civil society. Some of these, particularly civil society, have played key roles in advocating for fair political representation, violent-free elections and institutional and legal support that would guarantee the meaningful participation of women.
Article written by Olugbenga Elemo
Contact: elemoolugbenga@gmail.com