BY OGAR MONDAY
On the morning of Nigeria’s legislative primaries, Martha Agba woke up feeling confident. She hoped to become the first woman representing her constituency in the House of Representatives and had spent months canvassing everyone – from grassroots women’s associations to local chiefs.
Now, it was up to her party, the ruling All Progressives Congress to trust she would be the best candidate in elections early next year.
She knew it would be a tough race, but she hoped it would be a fair one.
A few minutes into the rowdy event, as she was making small talk with other delegates, a man gestured at her and started shouting.
“Go and marry and take care of your husband’s house!” she recalls him yelling, while onlookers laughed in response.
Ms. Agba, who is in her late 20s, tried to brush off the comment.
“That wasn’t the first time I have been told to go and marry and leave politics for men,” she says.
Ms. Agba did not get the party nomination to represent Cross River, a former oil-producing state of 3.7 million residents where political power brings enormous clout.
But beyond a personal defeat, her loss is part of a trend that has beset Nigerian politics for decades: Women rarely get a seat at the political table.
As Nigerians head to the polls to choose their president, governors, and legislators in February 2023, the situation appears bleaker than ever.
With the exception of the polls in 1999, which marked Nigeria’s transition from military rule to democracy, this year is the first time there will be no women on the presidential ballot.
At the state and local levels, where bitter, winner-take-all contests are considered a barometer of the country’s democracy, the odds are only slightly better. This year, fewer than 10% of nominees from the two main political parties are women.
Despite this, the number of women running for office is growing – Ms. Agba was one of around 700 women who hoped to get on an APC ticket, which party officials say is more than double the number in the previous run.
By and large, a handful of wealthy men, plucked from the small ruling elite, have dominated the field for decades. But as a new generation comes up, women are pushing to overturn the long-entrenched barriers that have held back anyone who isn’t male, wealthy, or plugged into the political elite.
“But the view from the top is often dispiriting – Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, early in his tenure drew criticism for saying that his wife belonged ‘in the kitchen, the living room, and the other rooms of my house”
In the 1960s, women played prominent roles in the political arena of the newly independent Nigeria – most famously, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the mother of legendary Afrobeats musician and anti-government activist Fela Kuti; and Margaret Ekpo, a trailblazing grassroots women’s activist, were among several high-profile women who wielded huge influence in public life.
Nigeria today still boasts an impressive class of female entrepreneurs and artists, yet female political representation languishes at the bottom of global indexes. Only seven of the 109 senators are women, and only 11 of the 360 members of the House of Representatives are women. A bill that sought to reserve a certain number of political positions for women failed to pass the first reading in March this year.
Because clinching a party nomination itself depends on winning favour with those in the top echelons, explains Ms. Agba, “getting more women in that space will mean more women being in the room when that decision is being made.”
But the view from the top is often dispiriting – Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, early in his tenure drew criticism for saying that his wife belonged “in the kitchen, the living room, and the other rooms of my house.”
Gender disparity is prevalent in Africa’s most populous nation: Only 53% of girls complete secondary school education, compared with two-thirds of boys. And gender violence is shockingly high – meaning while violence and intimidation are a constant in Nigeria’s political scene, targeted attacks on women create an additional barrier to entry, campaigners say.
In March, Emana Duke Ambrose-Amawhe was campaigning for a House of Representatives nomination for the Peoples Democratic Party, Nigeria’s main opposition party.
Wearing a black face cap with ‘EMANA’ emblazoned on the front, she was addressing a large crowd when she heard a ruckus nearby. Suddenly, men armed with bottles and machetes swarmed across the field toward her, causing the crowd to flee.
“I have never seen something like that,” she said. “They were only there to create fear, rob me, and cripple my campaign.”
After she refused to bow out of the race, some members of the party held a protest outside the party headquarters in which they chanted, “Emana, go back to the kitchen.”
Ms. Ambrose-Amawhe’s persistence paid off: She was eventually chosen as the deputy governor candidate in Cross River State.
Ambrose-Amawhe, was announced as the running mate to Sandy Ojang Onor, gubernatorial candidate of the party for next year’s election. The announcement of the former Channels TV broadcaster came 30 years after the state had a female Deputy Governor.
She was unveiled at the party secretariat in Calabar amid fanfare.
Unfortunately, youths from Akpabuyo, Bakassi, and Calabar South LG councils stormed the party secretariat, protesting the choice of Emana because she was relatively unknown in the political arrangements in the state.
Chairman of the party, Venatius Ikem, said it was a herculean task to arrive at Emana because there was a galaxy of well-qualified gladiators for the position.
He said her choice was divine and that they consulted widely, adding that the party needed new and younger faces, especially from the women folk.
“The choice of Emana was one of the landmark feats in my 10-month leadership of PDP in the state. I must be grateful to God for giving us as the running mate. It was the same feat when we successfully and admirably produced the governorship candidate in Senator Sandy Onor,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the PDP governorship hopeful, Sandy Onor who represents Cross River Central in the Senate, said they resolved to give women and the youths the slot as they are a major force in the party.
“We are broad-minded in PDP, giving everyone room, and always thinking of ways to make Cross River better.
“We needed a double-barreled person, a young woman that can appeal to the women and the youths. Since Cecilia Ekpenyong in 1992, we have not carried women along.
“We need a loaded woman like Emana, deep, intellectual, exposed, bold with royal blood from Efik and Qua kingdoms, a media guru that can serve with us to change Cross River State.”
Accepting the challenge, Emana said many battles have been fought and won, adding that settling for a woman as PDP running mate in Cross River is a weighty statement.
“For Cross River to have a female running mate is a victory already for the party. You have given me this task in trust. It is a big challenge. I boldly accept it,” she said.
Last week, the governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos State, Olajide Adediran, announced popular actress, Funke Akindele, as his running mate for the 2023 general elections.
Adediran, fondly called Jandor, unveiled the Lagos-born actress on Tuesday as the duo staged a rally alongside supporters across the streets in the Ikorodu area of the state.
Jandor, who also announced the choice of Akindele as the PDP deputy governorship candidate in a series of tweets, urged the residents of Lagos to work with them.
Stressing that the actress would add more value to his candidacy, he explained that he took the decision based on a clear understanding of the task ahead and the need to work with a co-visionary with a shared passion for the emancipation of the good.
According to the PDP flag bearer, the journey demands focus, resilience, and tenacity, and Akindele is large-hearted with a well-known history of service and advocacy.
He also described his running mate as ‘an Ikorodu-born success story’ who has positively transformed society through several of her projects.
During the presidential primary convention of the APC in Abuja in June, the first female presidential aspirant, Uju Ohanenye, stepped down for the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu.
She said, “Nigeria needs a leader and I decided to be the mother of the country. Nigeria is lacking women’s expertise.
“I thank you so much, but I have found out that we need more time for that to happen. I am pleading with delegates to know that their votes are life savers. Think of your children and mothers before you vote.
“Vote for someone that will ensure the brighter future of our children. I feel I should step aside for that life saver and the best candidate is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. I beg my supporters to vote for Tinubu.”
In June, Nollywood diva, Tonto Dikeh, surprisingly emerged as the deputy governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Rivers State for the 2023 general election.
Tonto Dikeh announced her selection via her official Instagram page where she wrote:
“I thank Mr Tonte Ibraye(@tonteibraye), the Governorship Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Rivers State for nominating me as his running mate,” Tonto Dikeh stated.
She added that “We are looking forward to investing massively in social protection, creating a social value system for young people, increasing women’s inclusion in our governance system, supporting small businesses and strengthening our traditional institutions to be active players in the drive to bring sustainable development to the good people of Rivers State.”
And giving reasons why she accepted to be by the running mate to Tonte Ibraye, the actress at a press conference in Abuja, said that governance and the democratic system of Nigeria were yet to meet international standards, explaining further that she would work out ‘modalities’ with Tonte Ibraye to move the state forward.
She said, “We shall work out modalities for job creation for massive employment, inclusion of more youth and women in governance and play vital roles in the development of Rivers State where their ideas and strength can be properly utilized.
“As a patriotic Nigerian, an advocate of good governance and a humanitarian who has positively touched the lives of millions of less privileged through my foundation, The Tonto Dikeh Foundation, and my experience on governance, leadership, and administration from Committee of Youth on Mobilization & Sensitisation (CYMS), I will play a crucial role in moving our dear state forward.
“Having interacted constantly with Mr. Tonte Ibraye, whom I have adjudged as a grounded person in international development ventures, a gentleman with an enduring passion in redefining our collective future in Rivers State, where there will be mutual ethnic respect and collective development in all sectors of our economy, I make bold to say that accepting this nomination is not only a good idea but, the right thing to do.”
On his part, Governorship candidate of the ADC, Tonte Ibraye, said he did not make a mistake when he decided to choose Tonto Dikeh as his running mate, stressing that they were coming on a rescue mission for Rivers State.
“I have worked closely with Tonto Dikeh for more than a year now and she has been part of the party for a very long time. She has been following up with the primary process, she’s an advocate of transparency and I believe I did not make any mistake as choosing her as my running mate.
“She has so many things in her, such as creating employment opportunities. She has a farm here in Abuja and Rivers State, not just that, she has supported a lot of young people in growing businesses.
“Yearly, she sends about 3,500 young people back to school. When it comes to choosing a running mate, many people look at a lot of indicators, but for me there are certain indicators I look at, are you able to employ young people and create employment for the people of Rivers and Nigerians, what is your disposition towards women and youth inclusion, believe me, Tonto Dikeh has all of that qualification. Any day, any time, I am more than proud to work with her as my running mate.”
“There is an army of informed women coming into politics, and they are ready to break down whatever barrier will try to hold them down. This system that holds women back cannot stand forever”
The mistreatment of Nigerian women in politics is rooted in a culture that promotes marriage as the ultimate goal for women, says Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, executive director of Spaces for Change, a female empowerment nonprofit organization.
“The Nigerian woman is (considered) with no roots and is only meant to be where a man wants her to be, which in most cases is nowhere,” she says. “Women are (expected) not to do serious things like politics – (they) should be seen and not heard.”
And even after marriage, the problem persists.
“If the woman is married and wants to contest in her husband’s place (of origin), she is reminded that she is not one of them and that she should go back to her father,” Ms. Ibezim-Ohaeri said, referring to a common view that women belong to their husbands.
“And when she goes back to her father, she is reminded that she has been married off and is no longer part of them.”
Ironically, springboarding off established men is one of the few ways women can access politics.
From the start of the country’s democracy until 2015, some 46% of all women elected to the Nigerian Senate were the wife or daughter of a prominent male politician, noted Ayisha Osori in a 2019 newspaper interview.
Ms. Osori is a longtime gender-equality activist who made an unsuccessful 2014 primary bid for the National Assembly.
Dr. Betta Edu, the national women leader of the ruling APC, said the party has taken concrete steps to address the problem. Applying as a nominee was free for women this year, rather than the usual tens of thousands of naira.
“Before now, we had women say, ‘We cannot afford the form, we are vulnerable, we are unable,’ but now (they) have been given the platform,” she says.
The Peoples Democratic Party, the main opposition party, also scrapped the nomination fees.
In doing that, the party “created the enabling environment for women to participate in politics,” according to Stella Atoe, a professor of African history and gender studies and the party’s national women leader.
More than 250 women – out of a total of 1,487 positions – had indicated interest to run for offices under the Peoples Democratic Party, Ms. Atoe added.
But most candidates say that free nomination forms are a token gesture that doesn’t address deep-rooted issues.
“The process after (applying) is still expensive,” Ms. Agba pointed out.
“The free nomination forms will become an advantage only in a society that sees women as equal. When we deal with that, maybe the free forms will make sense.”
Still, despite the odds stacked against her, she said she and her peers have no intention of backing down from future races.
“There is an army of informed women coming into politics, and they are ready to break down whatever barrier will try to hold them down,” Ms. Agba said.
“This system that holds women back cannot stand forever.”
