The Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI) in partnership with the Nigeria Civil Society Room has called on stakeholders to close the gender gap in Kogi State politics and permit the full involvement of women in governance.
The Executive Director of CPI, Eunice Abimbola Agbogun, made the call during an advocacy visit to the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) in Lokoja. The engagement, supported by UK International Development, was part of efforts to promote women’s political inclusion and representation.
Agbogun underscored that democracy will succeed only if every strata of society has an equal opportunity to participate and lead. “In Kogi State, women, who make up a significant portion of the population and voting population, continue to be severely underrepresented in leadership and decision-making,” she said.
To her, the exclusion of women is not just a gender issue but a democratic crisis that undermines good governance and development. “If half the population is silenced, our democracy is weakened and our advancement slowed,” she added.
She mentioned systemic barriers, political violence, economic hardship, sexual harassment, and exclusion of women from party hierarchies as key in limiting the participation of women. Agbogun urged political parties, electoral bodies, and government agencies to institute deliberate policies that promote gender equality and more women to take an active part in politics.
