To mark the international women’s day celebration, Alliances for Africa (AFA) in collaboration with INEC and with support from CISLAC and MacArthur foundation organised a one day consultative meeting with registered political parties in Imo State, has called on political parties to embrace the spirit of social inclusiveness and gender responsiveness in their policies and constitutions.
Speaking in the meeting, the INEC REC, Imo state, Prof. Francis Ezeonu represented by the Public Relations Officer of INEC, Dr. Chinenye Chijioke-Osuji noted that given that alot of factors prohibit women from participating in politics ranging from, culture and tradition, religion, male dominance, patriarchy, gender roles, ability to balance work and politics, social economic status among others, there is need according to her, to ensure increased accountability, closing of legal loopholes, improving techniques for conflict resolution, increased representation of marginalized groups among the political parties.
The political parties were urged to give reasonable percentage to women and marginalized groups like PWDs, Albinos, the visually impaired, women to enable them participate actively in the electoral process especially as the 2023 elections draw near.
She also tasked them to ensure that their ideologies contribute to democratic governance of the state, make provisions in their party constitutions that promote principles of good democratic governance, so that both the policies and constitutions of the political parties are socially inclusive and gender responsive in their 2023 electoral process to give more voices and positions for women.
Duru Blessing of AFA noted that the women are not asking to be equal with the men but that let there be social inclusion and gender responsiveness in their constitution and policies where the marginalized will have say in issues that concern them especially that they better say where the shoe pitches them.
In his opinion, the APGA chairman Imo State, Hon. John Iwuala noted that the parties have platforms for women to actively participate in party politics but the challenge is that women do not come to take their rightful place, adding that the political parties have certain percentage of positions reserved for women.
He lauded the political parties for making out time to attend the consultative meeting especially that it will further enhance the performance of the parties as the 2023 general elections come close.
Lilian Ibeh of AFA asked the political parties to continue to give political space for the women and the marginalized to actively participate in the electoral process for inclusive and gender responsive democratic governance.
She noted that the event was to mark the International Women’s Day Celebration held every 8th of March. She extolled INEC, Imo state for the collaboration in hosting the consultative meeting.