Parties Primaries: Women Group condemns APC for non inclusion

A Group, Women in politics Forum, (WIPF) has condemned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for non inclusive governance as promised at emergence.

The group pointed that since 1999, inclusion, participation and representation of women in politics have been undermined both in policy and practice.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Ebere Ifendu sho spoke on behalf of the women said that the political climate in Nigeria has been dominated by a dispassionate politics of intimidation.

She said: “The political climate has largely been dominated by a foray of dispassionate politics of intimidation, threats, violence against women in politics and elections.

However, in view of the changing dynamics in electoral public in Nigeria, one would have expected significant changes in the electoral conduct, but this unfortunately, is not the case”.

Efendu who emphasized on the just concluded primaries stressed that; “In retrospect to the just concluded political parties’ primaries were concluded on 7 October 2018 in line with INEC’s schedule for the 2019 General elections, a scrutiny into the processes and methodologies leading to the primaries is important to be considered and evaluated.

“Political parties’ primaries are organized as a due political procedure to democratically produce candidates that will represent their parties in the mainstay elections.

This practice is a universally recognized and accepted democratic practice that should reflect electoral transparency, credibility and inclusion.

“There have been a lot of mixed feelings which have trailed the conduct of the primaries. Women in Politics Forum (WIPF) observed that the pattern of participation by both men and women as voters and as aspirants.

We share deep concerns and reservation about the conduct of the primaries as quite a number of the women aspirants were faced with intimidation, harassment and threats to their persons and properties in their aspirations into various positions”.