Nigeria Content Online

The quest to give
the Nigerian women more roles in governance and party administration is
only possible when the country achieves free and fair elections next
year, the national chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)
Ogbonnaya Onu, said yesterday in Abuja.

Mr Onu, who spoke
at the ANPP national secretariat, while receiving the 100-member
consultative forum of the ministry of women affairs,

He however, told the women that the party would give females more administrative and elective opportunities.

According to the
ANPP boss, it would be fruitless to canvass the increase in the
participation of women in governance in line with the 35 percent
affirmative action aimed at remedying the gender gaps in politics if
the forthcoming elections are not transparent.

“All that you said
to us we are ready to do even more. We are prepared to give ANPP women
new personalities. Giving 35 per cent or one-thirds of positions is not
even enough because women make up half of the population of Nigeria.
All that we need is to provide the enabling environment.

So, we are ready to do more. ANPP is prepared and willing to ensure that we close the gender gaps” he said.

“But what you are
asking for can only be achieved if we can get free and fair elections.
A seat cannot be safe for us if somebody goes elsewhere and write the
result of the election different from the real result. So, it is good
for our nation if we have free and fair elections.”

Mr Onu told the
group led by the women affairs minister, Josephine Anenih that the ANPP
had since resolved to give the nomination form free to women and
physically-challenged Nigerians who are aspiring to elective positions
on the platform of the party at all levels in the forthcoming polls.

He said the decision was taken because of the they have in accessing funds for campaign.

He argued that it
is impossible for Nigeria to attain greatness without carrying along
the women who, according to him, constitutes half of the population of
the country.

The ANPP recalled
the roles played by some prominent Nigerian women during the struggle
for the country’s independence and expressed joy that the tradition is
being maintained by the contemporary women in politics and other
disciplines.

Earlier, Ms Anenih
asked ANPP chair to provide more positions for women in the party
administration and also give more opportunities to them to contest the
2011 elections.

She said that the forum was inaugurated last week following a resolution at a conference in June this year.

The minister said
that the group was floated to embark on advocacy visits to political
parties and other organizations because women failed in their quest to
secure reserves seats when the National Assembly was in the process of
amending the Electoral Act.

Ms Anenih also cited instances of other countries where similar
measures were taken to strengthen the participation of women in
politics and urged the parties and government to adopt the same
measures.