By Aaron Ossai
National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP, Senator Nenadi Usman has reiterated the commitment of the Labour Party under her leadership to the pursuit of greater women participation in Nigeria’s political process.
This was contained in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Eluma Asogwa and made available to newsmen on Friday.
According to the statement, Senator Usman made the pledge in Abuja while hosting the leadership of the Nigeria League of Women Voters, Kaduna State Chapter, who paid her a courtesy visit.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the group’s spokesperson, Dr. Rekiya Shonekan, extolled the virtues and accomplishments of the Labour Party Chairman in both politics and governance, and appealed to her to use her new platform to lend stronger support to the group’s advocacy for the Bill seeking Special Seats for women in parliament.
The delegation also sought her continued support for women empowerment initiatives and the broader advocacy to make Nigeria’s political space more inclusive for women.
Responding, Senator Usman commended the Nigeria League of Women Voters for its unwavering commitment to the advancement of women’s political rights in Nigeria.
She urged the group not to relent in the face of intimidation and the difficult operating environment, stressing that much still needs to be done in the struggle for gender inclusion.
Usman further reminded the delegation that before most Labour Party lawmakers elected in 2023 defected to other political platforms, the party had directed them to support the relevant Bills in the 10th National Assembly.
According to her, the Labour Party has remained true to its ideals by not only preaching inclusion but also practising it.
She noted that the party produced the first female national chairman of a major political party in Nigeria and currently has women occupying the positions of National Chairman, National Organising Secretary, and National Legal Adviser, a development she described as unprecedented in the country’s political history.
She assured the delegation that the Labour Party under her leadership would never waver in its commitment to greater women inclusion in politics.
However, the Labour Party chairman encouraged women not to always wait for special quotas before venturing into politics and taking bold political decisions. Drawing from her personal political journey and accomplishments, she reminded them that she did not wait for any special concession before joining politics, saying “If I could do it, you too can do it.”
Speaking emotionally, Senator Usman lamented what she described as the shrinking opportunities for women in governance and politics despite years of advocacy for inclusion.
She recalled that during her time in the 7th National Assembly, there were eight female senators, whereas the current 10th Senate has only three women, a decline she described as a major setback to the struggle for gender representation.
The Labour Party National Chairman also charged women to take responsibility for changing the narrative, expressing concern over the tendency of women voters to favour male candidates over female candidates during elections.
“Even when statistics show that women voters outnumber men during elections, women candidates are often sidelined by their fellow women at the polls, this trend must stop if we are to make any appreciable progress in our quest for greater women inclusion,” she remarked.
