Share

Nigerian women brace for local election upsets

Nigerian women are hoping to use Saturday's local elections to change the country's political dynamics by triggering an upset during the polls.

Women's groups have been mobilising support for female candidates seeking office, appealing to women voters to utilise their numerical strength to support their own during the governorship and state house of assembly elections.

"Women have to rise up and now that some of us are here to challenge the status quo, it should be an encouragement," Adebisi Ogunsanya, who is running for the first time, told Al Jazeera.

"I encourage them to vote for me because I understand what their problems are," Ogunsanya said on Thursday as campaigning ended.

READ: Nigeria police say more than 300 held for voting offences

She is seen as a dark horse in the race to become governor of Lagos state because of her minimal political experience. She's also contesting under a new political platform, the Young Progressive Party (YPP), in the commercial capital, Lagos.

Ogunsanya will be up against 38 male and six other female candidates.

A total of 80 female candidates will be vying for state governorship positions across 29 states. They will face a total of 987 male candidates, many of whom are well-funded and grounded in political history.

However, what female candidates lack in financial muscle is compensated by their voting power as they constitute 47% - 39 598 645 - out of 84 million eligible voters registered by the electoral commission.

'All boys club'

Women's groups such as the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) are providing support to ease the burden of female candidates, as part of its commitment to grow the pool of women in the political space.

"We are providing technical support to our women seeking elective positions. We encourage our women to vote women and we also encourage the women to pay attention to the manifestos of the various candidates," said NWTF spokesperson Mufilat Fijabi.

The group, established in 2011, aims to address "growing concerns about gender imbalance in elective and appointive positions", according to a statement on its website.

Some political analysts, however, are not convinced women can pull off any major upsets during Saturday's elections.  

"The top of the tickets for the major parties is basically an all-boys club. There will be a couple of female deputy governors but that won't be an upset," said Stanley Azuakola, founder of vote-watchdog Civic Monitor.

"Frankly, women are yet to collectively see the lack of female voices at the table as a serious issue," Azuakola added.

February's presidential and legislative elections were marred by allegations of violence, vote-rigging, and voter suppression.

This resulted in low voter turnout across the country with voters and electoral commission officials killed and injured.

The scale of the election violence, especially in Lagos, has left Ogunsanya and other candidates worried about security for Saturday's vote.

But she's confident women will turn out despite the risks to support female candidates.

"Barring any threats and violence, I expect the women to vote for me," said Ogunsanya.  

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.

- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
42% - 53 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
58% - 73 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.08
-0.9%
Rand - Pound
24.03
-0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.57
-0.5%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.38
-0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.9%
Platinum
890.97
-0.7%
Palladium
988.99
-1.3%
Gold
2,195.56
+0.0%
Silver
24.43
-0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
67,885
+0.3%
All Share
74,077
+0.2%
Resource 10
56,208
+1.0%
Industrial 25
103,636
+0.4%
Financial 15
16,471
-0.3%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE