INEC Urges Legal Reforms to Secure Women’s Place in Politics

INEC Urges Legal Reforms to Secure Women’s Place in Politics

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja 

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has called for urgent constitutional and electoral reforms to guarantee women’s inclusivity in politics and elective positions across Nigeria.

Yakubu made the appeal on Wednesday when he received a delegation of the Women’s Collective on Women’s Participation and Representation in Elective Positions and Party Leadership, led by Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

“The most effective way of ensuring greater representation for women and other marginalised groups in legislative assemblies is affirmative action supported by clear legal provision, as is the case in many jurisdictions.

“This calls for the amendment of sections of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2022,” Yakubu said.

The INEC Chairman stressed that the ongoing review of the nation’s laws offers a timely opportunity for change.

 “At our retreat earlier this year with members of the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters, we supported the amendment that will ensure greater representation of women in elective positions,” he added.

Yakubu highlighted the Commission’s internal strides towards inclusivity, noting that women already play significant leadership roles.

“Today, 12 out of 22 Departments and Directorates of the Commission are headed by women. This means that 55% of the Directors at the Headquarters here in Abuja are women,” he said.

Beyond staffing, the Chairman explained that INEC has adopted a gender policy, created a Department of Gender and Inclusivity, and consistently urged political parties to reflect equity in their leadership. “Many of them have responded positively, although much work still needs to be done,” he noted.

He assured the Women’s Collective of the Commission’s commitment to their cause. “You should continue to count on the Commission’s support at all times,” Yakubu told the delegation.

Earlier in her remarks, leader of the Women’s Collective and former member of the House of Representatives, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, lamented the persistent exclusion of women from Nigeria’s political landscape despite decades of advocacy.

“Everywhere we go, the first thing we hear is: your women are so educated, your women are so powerful. So why are the numbers like this?

“The numbers are appalling because the issues of how our politics are run are structural. There are impediments built into the system that hinder women, young people, and persons with disabilities,” she noted.

Toyo commended INEC for broadening its focus from gender to inclusivity, but urged the Commission to do more in holding political parties accountable.

“The 14 new political parties should be asked what their story on inclusivity is. Are they going to look like the old ones that continue to exclude, or will they bring change?” she said.

She stressed that women and other marginalised groups bring added value to Nigeria’s democracy.

“Women can bring quality to governance. Persons with disabilities and young people also feel excluded by the political culture of our parties. It’s time for us to sit together, think together, and create solutions,” she added.

Toyo expressed hope that by the 2027 general elections, Nigeria would record measurable progress in women’s representation.

“We want to see change. We want to see strong, productive women leading in politics, alongside young people and persons with disabilities. That is the future our democracy needs,” she said.