APGA hosts women's summit, calls for more women in politics

The All Progressives Grand Alliance has called for more women to be involved in politics and governance. They want stakeholders to break down the barriers that stop women from taking up leadership roles.

This call came during the party’s National Women’s Summit at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

In a statement released on Sunday by APGA’s National Publicity Secretary, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, the summit, themed “Advancing Women’s Inclusion in Politics and Governance,” gathered women leaders, political stakeholders, civil society groups, and gender advocates from all over the country to discuss how to increase women’s representation in governance.

The party’s National Leader and Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, was represented by his deputy, Onyekachukwu Ibezim.

In his goodwill message, Ibezim highlighted the need for women to be part of governance. He said, “Attempting to exclude women from politics and governance is akin to trying to clap with just one hand. For our democracy and development to be complete, women must be at the centre of decision-making.”

While opening the summit, APGA National Chairman, Chief Sly Ezeokenwa, mentioned that the event was organized because Nigeria cannot develop sustainably while women are not well represented in governance.

Ezeokenwa said, “This summit is not about APGA alone. It is about Nigeria. When women are excluded from the table, policies become incomplete. Advancing women’s inclusion is not a favour to women; it is an investment in better governance for all Nigerians.”

APGA National Woman Leader, Lizzy Nwokeocha, also spoke about the issues women face in politics. She said these challenges affect women across all political parties and need a united effort.

Nwokeocha stated, “The plight of Nigerian women in politics cuts across party lines. Today we put partisan interests aside to confront a national challenge. Our daughters deserve a political system that welcomes them.”

Participants at the summit identified major obstacles to women’s political participation, including financial constraints, cultural norms, political violence against women, and the party nomination processes.

The summit called for political parties to adopt affirmative action measures, pass the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill, and fully implement the 35 percent affirmative action policy.

They also stressed the importance of mentorship, capacity building, and better access to funding for female leaders.

The statement added that even though APGA organized the summit, it was nonpartisan and included representatives from other political parties, women’s groups, and development partners.

Among the resolutions made were calls for constitutional and electoral reforms to boost women’s representation, encouraging political parties to adopt voluntary quotas, supporting female candidates, creating a national mentorship network for women in politics, and improving data collection on women’s participation in governance.

APGA stated that the summit reinforced the party’s commitment to strengthening ways that promote women’s leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections.