Professor Kamilu Sani Fagge, a political analyst from the Bayero University, Kano, attributed the African tradition as the major factor, which he says is closely related to religion.
He added that the lack of political awareness among the women also contributed to their inability to win elections, “women have a large population, but they don’t actually work as a group, mostly for petty reasons, when it comes to elections they hardly vote for a fellow woman.
“And the women have some kind of psychological inferiority that they do not come out to contest, they rather want to be given certain quotas, but in politics, in democracy, in anything in life you strive hard to liberate yourself than to sit down and say you want it on a platter of gold,” he said.
He advised women to be more politically conscious, adding that this political awareness will help them to win elections.
He further decried the capital intensive nature of politics in Nigeria, which he said leaves women at a disadvantaged position.
However, Dr Idayat Hassan, Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) said that violence and vote trading were among the factors that affected the chances of women in the 2023 elections.
“Women are psychologically more averse to violence and would likely distance themselves from a violent ridden process. Unfortunately, the 2023 general elections was yet another that was characterised with a high level of political violence both online and offline.
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She added that the chances of women at the polls can be increased by amending the constitution to provide for gender friendly legislations, eradicating violence in elections as well as curbing the negative use of money in elections alongside providing financial empowerment for women seeking elective positions.
Speaking about the implication of fewer women in governance, an associate professor of political sociology at the University of Abuja, Abubakar Kari said that the declining number of women in governance is not good for the country, as it places the country against the global trend of more women in politics and governance.
“This is a disaster for political inclusion, because ordinarily, we were hoping that there will be more women in elective positions but for this whooping percentage to lose, it’s a big setback for all the attempts and campaigns to ensure that more women attain elective positions. But it also shows the overwhelming dominance of the political process by men, already we belong to a patriarchal society, and so it further entrenches patriarchy in politics,” he said.
