Joe Okei-Odumakin, President of Women Arise for Change Initiative, has commended women voters for turning out to vote at the ongoing Osun governorship elections.

Mrs Okei-Odumakin said the marked increase of female participants during elections was “part of the sensitisation and awareness” by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“If we think deeply, you see that women are the ones dealing with children …and for women to assert themselves it has to be with the PVC,” she said.

Data from INEC states that women make up more of the electorate.

In July, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, disclosed that out of the 8,631,696 completed voter registrations; 4,339,006 registrations were made by women.

Mr Oyekanmi had maintained that the development showed women’s determination to participate in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

“Both of them are tied at 4 million figure but females have in total 4,339,006 while males account for 4,292,690 which is quite significant that women are determined to vote this time,” Mr Oyekanmi had said.

On the Gender Equality Index report for 2022, Nigeria ranked 141 out of 146 countries under political empowerment. 

“The subindex where Nigeria has the widest gap to close is Political Empowerment, which has been widening since 2012 and currently stands at 96 per cent,” the report said.

Nigeria went up by 16 places on the overall index, noting positive changes recorded on the economic and educational subindexes.