League of Women Voters Shore up Support for Female Aspirants
By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
As the 2023 general elections draw nearer, a gender based non governmental organization (NGO), League of Women Voters of Nigeria, Bauchi state chapter has held it’s first physical interaction and capacity building training for women aspirants vying for elective positions in Bauchi State.
The program, organized by the group in collaboration with Action Aid Nigeria, with support from Global Affairs Canada, was held at the SMS conference hall of the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi.
In a welcome address by the chairperson of the state of the NGO, Hajiya Fatima Zakari Dogo, said the aims and objectives of the league is mainly focused on issues affecting the rights of women and girls, especially in relation to female’s participation in politics and governance.
She also said that it has become imperative for the NGO to identify women aspirants across various political parties and bring them together with a view to explore avenues on how to support them in their aspirations to elective positions and change the narrative in the state in the 2023 general elections.
Hajiya Fatima lamented the present situation in Bauchi State, where no single woman was elected either in the state assembly or the national assembly during the last Election, despite contesting in those elections.
In a lecture titled “Women in Politics…Way Forward”, a resource person, Hajiya Lami Geidam, emphasized on the need for women to shun all forms of rivalry, envy and jealousy within them and stand for each other.
League of Women Voters Shore up Support for Female Aspirants
In highlighting some major factors militating against women participation in politics, Geidam attributed it to eruption of violence experienced during elections, bad name given to women politicians, inadequate financial strength and lack of support from the women folks themselves among other things.
Also, a participant, Hajiya Zainab Mohammad representing North Central Zone in the league revealed that the league will be out to support every female politician irrespective of party affiliations in the 2023 forthcoming Elections.
Most of the participants who spoke to our correspondent appreciated the league, Action Aid and the Canadian Government for organising the event and also acknowledged the importance of the training saying that it has gingered them to foray into politics and jostle for elective positions.
Our correspondent reports that the event was attended by women from different non governmental organizations, political parties and the media.
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