Why are political parties afraid of seeing more women elected to political positions?

Mrs Kemi Nelson
APC Southwest Woman Leader

Hajiya Ramatu Aliyu
APC National Woman Leader

Dr Kema Chikwe
PDP National Woman Leader

By Abimbola Junaid. Founder, Arise Nigerian Woman

Foundation. Twitter: a4arise.Website: www.abimbolajunaid.org.

As the countdown towards the next general elections in February, 2015 begins, so does the fierceness increase in the search for candidates by political parties to run for various elective positions against their opponents. The polity is agog with news and activities of the process; from declaration of intention, party screening, to the primaries where the delegates choice of aspirants become the parties sole candidate. Gradually, the curtains are closing on these preliminaries but yet again, it is glaring to keen observers that the same old problem of disenfranchisement of women into elective positions has continued as many of the aspirants and candidates that have emerged so far are mostly men.

Women are being left out of elective positions. In some cases, the percentage of women already in parliament seeking to be re-elected dwindled. For example, the process in Lagos State saw some sitting honourable members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, men and women lose their positions to new entrants, but these entrants turn out to be men. So while the percentage of males in the State House of Assembly has not been impacted negatively, the same cannot be said of theirfemale counterparts who, from 7 female lawmakers in the last Assembly now have only 3 members to vie in the upcoming elections.

A critical look at the system that betrays the nomination of more females as the party flag bearers indicates that political parties are afraid of these loyal members forming the more populous gender of their party membership. Some will even argue that the benevolence of the party’s policy of free nomination forms for female aspirants goes towards a level playing field, and to them implementing the lobbied affirmative action to enable more women to enter politics.  This gesture notwithstanding, the political parties do stop women from actually emerging.

This act of tokenism is as far as the parties are willing to take responsibility, but the reality is that the political parties practice the carrot and stick approach with the  political aspirations of women. They systematically stop women aspirants in their tracks even before the elective process has commenced. Yes, the female aspirants get the nomination forms free, fill and return the forms, they are then called to the screening, but what truly transpires at these screenings?

It is at this screening stage that we begin to see the decline of the number of the female aspirants, allowing only a handful to get past and on to the primaries. This is imbibed in the systemic practice of asking aspirants especially females, to step down to accommodate the favorite aspirants of one party chieftain or the other, who  are usually male. Withdrawing from the races comes with negotiations, ie the promises of compensation via political appointments or “to be taken care of”, by contract allocation, this practice and much more cast a shadow over the sincerity of political parties to comply with more women candidature.

The women leaders of the political parties and the elected representatives amongst them, along with those who have secured government appointments are collectively failing in their duties to the women constituency as long as this practice continues. One would have expected to see them protesting, but they seem to be aiding women’s role in political parties to nothing else but entertainers, this is belittling of the brilliant women amongst them who truly are intelligent and can make all the difference as critical stakeholders in nation building if enabled a level playing field.

Could it be they are just simply grateful to have been nominated in the first place, along with the trappings that come with the position?

Are they not willing to rock the boat for the fear of the consequences? This calls for thought provoking solutions. In moving forward, let’s just say I am willing to call a truce here, even if only temporarily, that is if at least the political parties do the right thing, by choosing capable female politicians amongst them, to be the running mate of the governorship and presidential candidature.  Furthermore, to be prepared to compensate for this oversight, with more women in appointive positions come 29th of of May 2015. This of course is not the solution we seek long term, the continued disenfranchisement of women in politics, must really stop and the nomination of more women as candidates, is the ultimate and the local government elections when they come around will be a good place to start.