The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Affairs, Mrs. Betty Apiafi, on Monday said the rate of Insecurity in the country will affect women’s performance in the upcoming 2033 general election.
She said that some men have taken advantage of the Insecurity to issue death threats to her severally ahead of the upcoming election.
Apiafi said this while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the Womanifesto National Women’s Dialogue 2022 in Abuja.
The theme of the dialogue is ‘Electoral Integrity and Accountability: Towards Corruption-Free Elections’
According to her, “the issues of insecurity and the state of the economy are going to really be a big challenge to contend with during the next election.
“We’re all aware of the state of the economy. Of course, when the economy is the way it is, it becomes difficult for you to run an election without spending a lot of money.
“Also, there’s the issue of insecurity. The more you have insecurity in the nation, the more difficult it is for a woman to win election, because some (unscrupulous politicians), will take advantage of the situation.
“The other day, I got a phone call from somebody telling me that I cannot find him, but he is looking for me. Those are the kind of threats you get. The insecurity (in the country) is bad and gets worse during elections.”
The Senator representing Rivers West District, however, counseled women interested in occupying political offices not to give up on their dreams because of the challenges, but to persist in building a solid base at the grassroots, especially with the womenfolk.
According to her, “Women are the ones who come out to vote on election day. I have experienced it several times. On election day, they are the ones you can rely on. They are not scared of anything. I’ve seen it.
“I am from Rivers state, and I know what elections are like in my state. So, the women interested in political offices need to go back to the grassroots. They need to go talk to those women.”
The Chairperson of the national dialogue, Chief (Mrs) Moji Makanjuola, noted that beyond backing their folks across the board, women would be throwing their weight behind the presidential candidate that is most favorably disposed to the capabilities of women in leadership.
She stated that the women know that there is no serious presidential candidate that would want to undermine what they can offer on election day.
Other speakers at the Womanifesto national women’s dialogue include the President of Change Managers International, Felicia Onibon, who disclosed that the women have prepared a ‘Charter of Demands’ for any presidential candidate that is seeking their support must sign.
Also, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, the founding Director of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), said the women were tired of being considered don’t second-class citizens in the country’s political space.
“Our identity matters; our dignity as women matters. So that’s why we are here to reaffirm that and to say that we are still in solidarity and that we have a strategy,” she added.
The Womanifesto conferences were funded by MacArthur Foundation and Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA Nigeria) in partnership with the Affirmative Action Initiative for Women formerly known as National Coalition on Affirmative Action (NCAA) and Gender Technical Unit (GTU).
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