Source: Daily Trust
Female parliamentarians in the House of Representatives yesterday resolved to canvass for more elective offices for women politicians ahead of the 2015 elections.
Addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday, House Leader Mulikat Akande-Adeola said female lawmakers have since mapped out strategies to achieve their goal.
She said as part of the strategies, the female lawmakers would organize a women conference titled, ‘Building Bridges of Opportunity: 2015 Elections and Beyond.’
Akande-Adeola who spoke alongside some female lawmakers, said President Goodluck Jonathan was expected to declare the conference open next Monday.
She said the conference would brainstorm on how to further increase the number of women in politics in Nigeria.
“Our intervention in 2011 resulted in about 800 women making it to the primaries, but it translated to only 28 women in the National Assembly and 70 women at the state assemblies across the country. This is not good enough for Nigerian women, and we are exploring the possibility of making it a 50 percent representation for women in Nigeria,” she said.
Speaking at the briefing, Rep Uche Ekwunife (APGA, Anambra) said the female lawmakers would want the next chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be a woman.
“The only position reserved for women is that of woman leader, one of the least in the executive of the party. We want at least seven positions in the party for a better representation for women in this country,” she said.