Senate President Godswill Akpabio has blamed women for the poor success rate of female politicians in the country.
According to the President of the Senate, “women often vote for male candidates, making it difficult for female candidates to win elections.”
Akpabio made this known on Tuesday while receiving a delegation from the European Union Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Mr. David McAllister, at the National Assembly in Abuja.
The Senate President expressed worry over the low participation of women in Nigerian politics. He noted that despite women constituting almost half of the voting population, their representation in government remains dismally low.
Currently, only four out of 109 senators and 17 out of 360 members of the House of Representatives are women.
Akpabio described the figure as “unacceptable” and called for collective efforts to address the imbalance.
He assured that the National Assembly is working to create better opportunities for women in politics through “innovative measures and possible constitutional amendments” that would promote gender inclusion in governance.
According to him, the legislature will continue to partner with advocacy groups such as the Black Women’s Forum and other stakeholders to support women aspiring for elective offices and ensure fair representation in leadership.
However, Akpabio has repeatedly spoken about the need for women’s empowerment, stressing that true democracy cannot thrive when half of the population remains underrepresented.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
