By Linda Ogbona
The President of the African Women Lawyers Association(AWLA), Mrs Mandy Demechi-Asagba, has warned that Nigeria’s democracy will continue to operate “below its full potential” until women are given equal space in politics.
Demechi-Asagba issued the warning in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to her, the exclusion of women from political leadership is not just a gender issue, but a governance deficit that weakens policy outcomes for the entire country.
“Politics without women is democracy operating below its full potential.
“Greater inclusion of women in politics is essential for strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and improving governance outcomes.”she said
The AWLA president argued that Nigeria could not afford to keep sidelining competent women while demanding better leadership.
She cited the experiences of public figures like activist Aisha Yesufu, former Minister of Women Affairs Pauline Tallen, former Senator Grace Bent, and ex-House Leader Mulikat Akande-Adeola as examples of a long-standing pattern of discrimination against qualified women seeking elective office.
Demechi-Asagba also referenced Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former Minister of Finance and current Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, to stress that Nigeria has no shortage of capable female leaders.
“If highly accomplished women such as Aisha Yesufu, Amina Mohammed and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala face barriers to political leadership, then there is a serious problem with the system,” she said.
According to her, the barriers show up in party primaries where women aspirants are pressured to step down for male contenders in ticket allocation.
The association’s president added that the barriers also became evident in the culture of assigning women mainly supportive roles within political parties.
She urged political parties to reform their primary election processes and embrace affirmative action policies that guarantee real opportunities for women, not symbolic gestures.
“Women should not be confined to cheerleading roles when they have the competence to lead, make laws, oversee public spending and participate fully in governance,”she said.
The AWLA president expressed optimism that deliberate reforms and stakeholder support could produce more female candidates and winners.
She called on Nigerians to build a political system where competence, not gender, determines leaders(NAN)