Women are handicapped when it comes to politics and part of the handicap is religion and culture. I don’t think any culture in Nigeria encourages women in this regard. May be Yoruba culture; but even then, most of our culture and religion in Nigeria don’t believe women should be in politics. Even up till today 2023, many men think women should not be in politics. If any woman wants to go into politics they shout: What is she going to do there?

Many people see women politicians as wayward, irresponsible which is terrible; and that belief even among the educated men in Nigeria is still common. Many men will not encourage their wives and even their daughters to go into politics and that is a major handicap. So both before and after the last election, I’m disappointed. I’m even heartbroken. There are two ways women can go into politics. Either by election or through appointment. In many states like my own, the governors do not appoint enough women and there are capable women. Suppose women don’t have the courage or the finances to go into elections, don’t they have the capacity or the brains to be appointed by governors or by the president to support them through appointive positions? So, whether it is through elective processes or through appointment, the number of Nigerian women in politics and leadership positions has not been impressive

Politics in Nigeria is very expensive and most women cannot compete well with the men. However, I think there is a lot that has to be done by the women themselves to prove their own and they should not sit back and say because they are women they want this or they want Beijing Declaration. They should work hard so that they can be identified in the political scene.

The role of women in any election is very crucial. Apart from being great and efficient mobilizers, women have proven themselves to be pacesetters in terms of carrying out the leadership roles. So, as we move towards the 2023 elections, I expect Nigerian women to break all barriers, offer themselves and put themselves forward for the various political offices in the land. Gone are the days when women would sit back, fold their arms and allow men to dictate their political path. A lot of women have made their marks and I expect more active and robust participation in the coming elections.

In Nigeria, it is quite shocking to see the low levels of women in parliament – both in the Senate and the House. And that we actually have men actively opposing efforts to reduce their capacity. I think here, Nigeria needs to change its strategy and it needs to start on the local level of the parties. Again, I see the great capacity of women in Nigeria to participate, so I don’t think that’s our challenge. Our challenge is the construct and what the male community puts into it.

As long as I can remember, women’s participation in politics and visibility in leadership positions have been major problems in many countries and not just in Nigeria. The entire world knows that women have not done well in politics in Nigeria. I’m sure you know there is supposed to be a gender policy in Nigeria which came to effect in 2006; affirmative action of 35%. The only time any leader approached that policy was the time of Jonathan’s regime and since then nobody is even trying and each time I think about women in politics and leadership, I like to give example from my own State, Anambra State. Anambra women are well educated, they are empowered. They are confident and knowledgeable about local and international affairs. Yet the number of women in politics in Anambra is laughable, so to say

First and foremost, there is nothing that says a woman cannot be a president in Nigeria because we have women who could even perform better than the men but the African culture has really restrained our women, we are just coming out gradually. Men have started accepting the fact that we must have to share this space, that they must have to allow us share this space with them. And that it is a gradual process, I am sure you would be surprised that by the time we would have a female president, it is the men that would nominate them, you would be surprised. It is happening everywhere now.

The women need more support in Nigerian politics as politics is seen as a "Man's World."

I’m not surprised many women are discouraged and leaving politics altogether. The pressure and tension are unbearable, especially when you’re a woman aiming for the top. They’ll throw stones at you, do everything to pull you down. In Ghana‘s politics, women are often relegated to subordinate roles.

The Nigeria political terrain is still very rough. It’s not as if we don’t have capable women. We have very competent women. Is it not this same set of women that excel in other professions? Look at Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, where she is now at the World Trade Organization, look at several other women at home that are doing well. Women are well educated, they are competent but when it comes to the political terrain, the way Nigeria practices politics is very problematic.

I think the challenge in politics is that somebody is mischievously trying to make the Nigerian woman believe there is problem for her going into politics.

“because I thought the voice of women was not heard,” but also cautions that it is not an easy life. Candidates must often fund their own races, making financial security important. Women often get discouraged and quit politics,

The other factor is that there is still perception from the society that women cannot lead. This has resulted in many women not showing eagerness to contest for high political positions.

It is no news that Women’s representation in Nigerian politics has been on a downward slide since 2011, and extremely low in Borno State.