The Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI), in collaboration with the Nigeria Civil Society Room, has called on all stakeholders to bridge the democratic gap and ensure full and equitable participation of women in Kogi State politics.
The executive director of CPI, Eunice Abimbola Agbogun, made the call during an advocacy meeting with the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) held yesterday in Lokoja with funding support from UK international Development.
Agbogun emphasised that democracy can only thrive when every segment of society has an equal voice and opportunity to lead.
“In Kogi State, women, who constitute a significant portion of the population and electorate, remain critically underrepresented in political leadership and decision-making spaces,” she lamented.
“This is not just a women’s issue it is a fundamental democratic deficit that weakens our governance, stifles our development, and silences half of our state’s potential.”
She identified poor representation, systemic barriers, political violence, economic hardship, sexual harassment, and exclusion from party structures as some of the major obstacles hindering women’s political participation.
Agbogun stressed that increased women’s participation in politics is not only a matter of fairness but also a catalyst for development.
“Evidence globally shows that women’s inclusion in leadership leads to greater investment in health, education, and social welfare — the cornerstones of development,” she stated.
“Diverse perspectives result in more innovative policies that reflect the needs of the entire population. True democratic legitimacy is impossible when a majority of the citizenry is marginalized from power.”
She further linked women’s political empowerment to economic growth, noting that empowering women politically “leads to a more robust and inclusive state economy.”
While commending the Kogi State Government for electing women as vice chairpersons and council leaders across the 21 local government areas — including one female council chairperson — Agbogun maintained that much more needs to be done.
“The continued marginalization of women politically is an injustice and an immense loss of potential. The time for rhetoric is over. The time for deliberate, decisive, and collective action is now,” she declared.
“Let us unite to dismantle the barriers and build a Kogi State where every woman and girl can aspire to lead without fear or limitation.”
She also warned against Violence Against Women in Elections (VAWE), describing it as “a grave threat to democracy, human rights, and gender equality.”
“Women in Kogi State are vital contributors to the democratic process, both as voters and candidates,” Agbogun added. “However, they often face gender-based violence and intimidation designed to exclude them from political life. This must stop.”
Responding, the chairman of KOSIEC, Mamman Eri, urged women to take active roles in politics rather than staying on the sidelines.
“Women should stop sidelining themselves. It is important for them to take the bold step to contest for offices from the presidency down to the lowest political office in the country,” he said.
“We have states where the electoral body is headed by a woman, and this is laudable and should be encouraged.”
Eri further emphasised that political parties have a key role to play in promoting gender balance and urged the government to adopt deliberate strategies to boost women’s representation in politics.
It was gathered that 60 women drawn from the three senatorial districts of Kogi State all non-partisan formed a coalition to advance the cause of women’s political inclusion.
