Desmond Iwuchukwu
The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) Rivers State has asked women not to boycott the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections because of their disappointment with INEC in the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections.
It said this in a statement jointly signed by the Chairperson, Susan Serekara-Nwikhana, and Secretary Ngozi Anosike Ph.D. during the commemoration of this year’s International women’s Day celebration.
NAWOJ maintained that what INEC displayed in the Presidential and National Assembly elections was enough to discourage women from participating in the March 11 elections, adding that women in their quest for a better society came out in their numbers on 25th of February 2023 only for INEC to disappoint many Nigerians.
The association pointed out that despite the troubles associated with the scarcity of fuel and naira in the country, they still outnumbered men in most polling units.
NAWOJ, however, expressed regret that INEC failed in its responsibility to carry out a credible electoral exercise.
The association further commended the women for not taking their anger and disappointment to the streets and enjoined them to use March 11 election as an opportunity to make a statement in the country’s electoral process.
NAWOJ reminded women that not participating in the Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections will amount to disenfranchising themselves as well as denying their candidates the opportunity to win their respective positions.
On International Women’s day, NAWOJ said it sees this year’s celebration as a wake-up call for all women to team up in unity and in one accord to ensure that competent and gender-sensitive people are voted into power.
“With your active participation, you can decide who leads you in the next four years, the time to get the change you want politically is now, and the time to vote for the candidates of your choice is now,” the statement added.
