INEC Will Not Condone Women Marginalization in Electoral Process – Jega
By SULE YAKUBU
Nigerian National Accord
“There is no way INEC will condone exclusion of women in the electoral process or allow anybody to deny women registration or deny them collection of their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)”
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, made the assertion, when he played host to the Minister of Women Affairs and Youth Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The INEC Chairman said: “ In INEC we believe very strongly that whatever we do, we have to factor the protection and the defence of women”, adding that “no country has developed without promoting and providing opportunities for women to contribute their own quota to nation building. This is very important”.
While assuring INEC’s commitment to monitoring and ensuring political parties comply with their constitutions, Professor Jega, however, regretted that “the constitutions of our political parties have very little in them in terms of promoting, protecting and encouraging women’s participation in the political process. Our mandate is to ensure that parties comply with the constitution, the Electoral Act and their own constitutions” he said.
On gender-based violence against women in the electoral process, the INEC boss confirmed that such vices will receive a lot of attention as we move towards 2015 elections, because the Commission is working closely with security agencies to ensure free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.
He further explained that INEC has insisted that nursing mothers, the elderly, and people with disabilities be given priority when they come to participate at the polls.
The INEC Chairman used the opportunity to intimate the Commission’s guest of extensive voter education plans of the Commission towards ensuring maximum participation in the electoral process by engaging all media at all levels to reach Nigerians in their various languages especially to women and youths who make up majority of the voting populace.
Professor Jega informed the Honourable Minister that the Commission was working closely with Civil Society Organisations and would work with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development to identify the most important priorities in INEC’s gender policy for implementation so as to engage, empower women and to engender the Nigerian political and electoral process.
Earlier, Hajiya Maina while revealing that she was on an advocacy visit and commending the Commission for its many gender responsible interventions, called on INEC to ensure “women are not schemed out, intimidated or disadvantaged by parties in the political process”.
She urged the leadership of INEC to “impose strict sanction on parties who do not observe their own rules in choosing candidates” and urged INEC to “encourage political parties to take conscious steps in implementing the affirmative action regarding women’s participation as prescribed in the national gender policy”.
The Minister pointed out that majority of the electorate that vote on election day are women and youths and as such they should not be disenfranchised in any way, adding that people living with disabilities constituted a large population, appealing to the INEC chairman to carry their interest along.
Lending a voice to the Honourable Minister, the Director, Women and Gender Affairs in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development, Mrs. Iran Ajufo, who is also the leader of a Women’s lobby group, called on INEC to “ensure visibility for women in the political process. She said, “we want to see concrete action that will translate aspiring women into candidates, and aspiring candidates into elected officers.”
By SULE YAKUBU
Nigerian National Accord
“There is no way INEC will condone exclusion of women in the electoral process or allow anybody to deny women registration or deny them collection of their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)”
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, made the assertion, when he played host to the Minister of Women Affairs and Youth Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The INEC Chairman said: “ In INEC we believe very strongly that whatever we do, we have to factor the protection and the defence of women”, adding that “no country has developed without promoting and providing opportunities for women to contribute their own quota to nation building. This is very important”.
While assuring INEC’s commitment to monitoring and ensuring political parties comply with their constitutions, Professor Jega, however, regretted that “the constitutions of our political parties have very little in them in terms of promoting, protecting and encouraging women’s participation in the political process. Our mandate is to ensure that parties comply with the constitution, the Electoral Act and their own constitutions” he said.
On gender-based violence against women in the electoral process, the INEC boss confirmed that such vices will receive a lot of attention as we move towards 2015 elections, because the Commission is working closely with security agencies to ensure free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.
He further explained that INEC has insisted that nursing mothers, the elderly, and people with disabilities be given priority when they come to participate at the polls.
The INEC Chairman used the opportunity to intimate the Commission’s guest of extensive voter education plans of the Commission towards ensuring maximum participation in the electoral process by engaging all media at all levels to reach Nigerians in their various languages especially to women and youths who make up majority of the voting populace.
Professor Jega informed the Honourable Minister that the Commission was working closely with Civil Society Organisations and would work with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development to identify the most important priorities in INEC’s gender policy for implementation so as to engage, empower women and to engender the Nigerian political and electoral process.
Earlier, Hajiya Maina while revealing that she was on an advocacy visit and commending the Commission for its many gender responsible interventions, called on INEC to ensure “women are not schemed out, intimidated or disadvantaged by parties in the political process”.
She urged the leadership of INEC to “impose strict sanction on parties who do not observe their own rules in choosing candidates” and urged INEC to “encourage political parties to take conscious steps in implementing the affirmative action regarding women’s participation as prescribed in the national gender policy”.
The Minister pointed out that majority of the electorate that vote on election day are women and youths and as such they should not be disenfranchised in any way, adding that people living with disabilities constituted a large population, appealing to the INEC chairman to carry their interest along.
Lending a voice to the Honourable Minister, the Director, Women and Gender Affairs in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development, Mrs. Iran Ajufo, who is also the leader of a Women’s lobby group, called on INEC to “ensure visibility for women in the political process. She said, “we want to see concrete action that will translate aspiring women into candidates, and aspiring candidates into elected officers.”
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