A non-governmental organisation, Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), has said that Nigerian politics is too expensive for women interested in politics to cope with.
Speaking while presenting findings of a research titled ‘Beyond Voting: Increasing Women’s Participation in the Political Process’, Lead Researcher, Dr. Chris Kwaja, stressed that it was not enough for political parties to make forms free for women but to raise money to support them to victory.
He said when the women get the forms and the tickets, they need money to pay for campaigns, posters among other things to give them victory, stressing that without financial support, they will not succeed.
He also identified the presence of ‘god-fathers’ who were averse to sponsoring women candidates in politics as one of the challenges affecting women’s chances.
Kwaja advocated for the mentoring of younger women by successful women politicians.
On his part, the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who spoke through the Deputy Director, Gender Department, Jamilu Sabiu, said since the 2007 elections, the number of women who won elective positions had consistently reduced, especially looking at their number in the National Assembly.
