Stakeholders and gender advocates in the South-South states of Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa have stated that women’s participation in politics is not a privilege but a necessity.

They called for stronger reforms, reserved seats, and a positive perception to enhance women’s representation in governance.

In Edo, Sally Suleiman, the special adviser on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the Edo governor, stressed that women constitute the backbone of the electoral process.

Ms Suleiman regretted, however, that their presence in leadership remained disproportionately low despite their numerical strength and consistency at the polls.

According to her, when women are part of leadership and decision-making, governance becomes more inclusive and balanced.

“Policies become more inclusive, communities are better represented, and governance feels more balanced,” she said.

While acknowledging that capacity building remained vital, she stressed that structural barriers must also be dismantled.

On the issue of affirmative action, Ms Suleiman expressed strong support for reserved seats for women.

“It’s not about giving women positions out of sympathy; it’s about creating room for balance and fairness. For too long, the space has been dominated by men, and until there’s deliberate action like reserved seats, the imbalance will continue. Once the ground becomes truly level, women will compete and win on their own merit,” she posited.

In her view, Elizabeth Ativie, a former speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly and current chairman of the Labour Party in Edo, bemoaned how cultural and traditional barriers continue to make women less visible in politics.

Ms Ativie, however, expressed optimism that the tide was changing, especially with the growing support for special seats for women in governance.

“We have started very well by asking for special seats for women, like Ghana and some other countries have. What’s even more encouraging is that a man is now sponsoring the bill,” she noted.

Ms Ativie urged the National Assembly to pass the bill on special seats for women and called for the inclusion of state-level women leaders in the process.

Speaking on their contribution to national development, Ms Ativie, Edo’s first female speaker, added that women also bring focus and integrity to leadership.

Limota Goroso-Giwa, a women’s rights advocate and executive director of the International Women Communication Centre (IWCC), lamented that negative perceptions and stereotypes continue to limit women’s political advancement.

“When a man wants to join politics, they see him as a leader, but when a woman comes, they say, ‘Who is sponsoring her? Who is her mentor? Who is her principal?’

“When a woman comes out to participate in politics, the first question people ask is, ‘Is she married? Who is she? Whose daughter or whose wife is she?’

“Nobody cares about her intelligence; nobody cares about her perception as a human being,” she said.

The women’s rights advocate further advocated for a gender quota in the 2027 general elections.

In Delta, Bridget Anyafulu, a lawmaker representing Oshimili South Constituency in the State House of Assembly, also emphasised the transformative benefits of women’s inclusion in governance.

Ms Anyafulu lamented the marginalisation of women in Nigerian politics, citing data that women hold only 4.2 per cent of seats in the National Assembly.

“In proportion to their population vis-à-vis men, the participation of Nigerian women in politics is low,” she stated. “This under-representation is part of age-old systemic injustice, discrimination, marginalisation, and deprivation suffered by women in society.”

To address the disparity, she called for institutionalised reforms.

Sharing similar sentiments, Matthew Omonade, a member representing the Ughelli North I Constituency, said, “There is strong evidence that if more women are elected to office, there would be an increase in policymaking that emphasises quality of life.”

He said women’s participation strengthened democracy, adding that “we must strive for a society where every woman does not just feel safe enough to survive but empowered enough to thrive.”

In Bayelsa, Sarafina Otasi, former commissioner for women affairs and social development, described women as “the engine of growth and development.”

“Women’s political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. This will facilitate women’s direct engagement in public decision-making and ensure better accountability to women,” she stated.

She urged Bayelsa women to register for the ongoing continuous voter registration exercise to enable them to play a greater role in politics.

Similarly, Beauty Ebiowor, chairperson of the Women Advocacy Group in Bayelsa, emphasised that reserving seats for women would help institutionalise mentorship and capacity building.

She added that adopting a female running mate for every male presidential candidate “will be a strong starting point for greater female inclusion.”

For Godson Bako, a community leader from Ogbia, Bayelsa, true national development remains impossible without the full participation of women in governance.

Stakeholders across the zone agreed that women’s political inclusion is not merely a matter of equity but a catalyst for national progress.

(NAN)