INEC Backs Call For Increased Women Representation In Political Leadership

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed afloat enactment for the advocacy for much information and practice of much women successful governmental enactment enactment and elective positions successful the country.

INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu stated this erstwhile an advocacy group, Women’s Collective nether the auspices of ‘The Electoral Hub’ paid him a courtesy telephone astatine the Commission’s office successful Abuja, connected Wednesday.

He said successful its consultative meetings with governmental parties, INEC has consistently urged them to guarantee greater practice for under-represented groups successful enactment leadership, noting that galore parties person responded positively, though overmuch enactment needs to beryllium done.

Yakubu noted that the astir effectual mode of ensuring greater practice for women and different marginalised groups successful the legislative assemblies was done the affirmative enactment supported by wide ineligible proviso arsenic was the lawsuit successful galore jurisdictions.

The INEC brag said this required amendment of provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2022.

Prof Yakubu said the ongoing reappraisal of the Constitution and the Electoral Act offers an accidental to prosecute with lawmakers for due legislative action.

“Happily, the substance is backmost connected the legislative agenda. At our retreat aboriginal this twelvemonth with members of the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives connected Electoral Matters, we supported the amendment that volition guarantee greater practice of women successful elective positions.

“We invited your accordant advocacy for women’s information and practice successful governmental enactment enactment and elective practice successful Nigeria. You should proceed to number connected the commission’s enactment astatine each times,” helium said.

Yakubu maintained that INEC is an adjacent opportunities organisation which believed successful inclusivity some successful the workplace and successful the discharge of its extended responsibilities arsenic an predetermination absorption body.

“Today, 12 retired of 22 Departments and Directorates of the Commission are headed by women. This means that 55% of the Directors astatine the Headquarters present successful Abuja are women. Across the States of the Federation, galore of our substantive Administrative Secretaries, who are besides Directors, are women.

“With respect to the electoral process, we person a sex argumentation which is periodically revised and updated. We person besides established a Department of Gender and Inclusivity for the promotion of greater entree for marginalised and under-represented groups successful the electoral process,” helium added.

For her part, person of the Women’s Collective, Nkoyo Toyo called connected INEC and different captious stakeholders to enactment the advocacy for women inclusion arsenic good arsenic information of much women successful politics.

She besides appealed to the National Assembly to guarantee the transition of the pistillate reserved seats bill.