The Commission has continually demonstrated its willingness to engage with all stakeholders in the discharge of its duties realizing that equal participation of women and men in all aspects of public life is a key principle of democracy.
2. Again, nation states where men and women are involved in decision making at all levels tend to develop better and faster than those that do not make deliberate efforts to protect the interest of all citizens, irrespective of Gender.
3. INEC is committed to seeing that Nigeria's Political landscape is and will continue to provide a level playing field for participation of all citizens in the electoral process.
4. Nigeria having signed a significant number of international and regional protocols and conventions that guarantee the protection of women's rights to political participation.
5. Women in Nigeria are assured of a supportive environment to participate in the electoral process in any capacity, degree or role they may choose.
6. I wish to mention that from the election in 2015, the Commission has improved its processes and procedures to ensure that gender is adequately mainstreamed in the electoral process, and this is reflected in its activities in the 2019 General Election.
7. Women population is almost half of the country's population. The Commission with the collaboration of stakeholders in the electoral process has adopted strategies to reach these women, to ensure that they are actively involved in the electoral process.
8. We are interested in engaging them in active politics to enrich our electoral system. This has become imperative considering the sharp decrease in the number of women who won elective positions in 2019 General Elections.
9. Today in this hall, stakeholders comprising women professional bodies, women political activists and women scholars have gathered to dialogue and find ways to increase women participation in the 2023 General Election.
10. For us in the Commission, we have taken the lead to incorporate gender issues in the electoral process. The degree to which women's participation in politics can strongly influence policies and programs of government, lies to a large extent, with them.
11. Recent Voter Registration statistics for the 2023 General Election, released by the Commission, indicates that of the 93,469,008 registered voters, 47.5% are women. This is a huge voting community, a number which if strategically deployed, can determine the election outcome.
12. I therefore urge you to participate actively in the dialogue towards charting a new course for increased women participation in the 2023 General Election and beyond.
13. May I at this point, appreciate our Development Partner, @IFESNigeria, for supporting this engagement. This enduring partnership, we believe will continue to yield good results in governance.
I wish you all a fruitful deliberation
Lakunuya Bello
Director Gender & Inclusivity
I wish you all a fruitful deliberation
Lakunuya Bello
Director Gender & Inclusivity
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