APC Women Leader Urges Lawmakers to Revisit Gender Bills

The National Women Representative of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon Stella Okotete yesterday urged Nigerian lawmakers at both House of Representatives and the Senate to urgently revisit the amendments that led to the killing of the gender issue bill or risk losing the support of the bulk of Nigerian women.

In a statement she personally signed, the women leader, expressed extreme dismay that of the 68 legislations, five bills that had the greatest interest of women at heart in promoting and mainstreaming at the center stage of governance, political party participation and entrench their place in society were not only overlooked but were outrightly denied.

She said: “It is  with an utmost heavy heart that we express our regrets on the failure of the National Assembly for rejecting all bill related gender issues during the voting on the amendments to the 1999 Constitution on Tuesday 1st of March 2022. Constitutional reviews are a unique opportunity for countries to rectify anomalies in how they are governed but the recent amendments fell short of the expectations of the entirety of Nigerian women.  

Our disappointment beyond all reasonable doubt stems from the following  three key points: denying 35 per cent appointed positions for women and settling for 20 per cent; denying women affirmative action in party administration and leadership and denying specific seats for women in the National Assembly.

“As the 2023 elections draw nearer this would have been a wonderful opportunity to test and implement these key changes to our polity so that Nigerian women can feel not only a sense of belonging but contribute their intelligence and brilliance.

“Since the return of democracy Nigerian women have been at the forefront of supporting Nigeria’s democracy structures. Every election cycle they have come out in huge numbers to vote and contribute their quota to the democratic experiment.

“Nigerian women have often times been recipients of the violence that had come from elections and political processes that have failed.

“This was a unique opportunity that the National Assembly had let slide and has indeed turn back the hands of time in our democratic experience. It is in our view that Nigerian women deserve better and should not continually be treated as second class citizens but as equal partners in nation building.

“Nigerian lawmakers should urgently revisit this faux pas in order to redress this great injustice meted to Nigerian women, or risk losing the support of the bulk of Nigerian women. The bedrock of democracy in equity and Justice.
“There has been no equity nor Justice in the disenfranchisement of the Nigerian women as done by Nigerian lawmakers. We seek immediate redress.”