Sometimes when women come out, others think they should not be in politics. They prefer to vote for their male counterparts rather than to vote for a… - Chinyere Stella Okunna

There was a time we thought we were improving. Before this last election, Anambra had two female Senators which was very good. There are usually three senators per state and women had two. But in the last election those two women lost their positions and so there is no single woman at that level now in Anambra state. In the House of Assembly, there was only one woman and the last election did not improve the situation.

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

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