Female Representation In Nigeria: The Case Of The 2011 General Elections And The Fallacy Of 35% Affirmative Action.

Abstract

Women participation in politics in Nigeria is a thing of concern to many because of the continuous low record of female representation after elections. Whereas men occupy large number of seats in elections women are constantly left with few positions. The 2011 general elections with all the promises it held for women, at the end scored one of the lowest female representations in the history of elections in the country. This came in spite of the 35 percent affirmative action and the huge campaign of the Women for Change Initiatives aimed at providing a soft landing for women in the elections. The obstacles to women empowerment are numerous and as many have agreed, they gained root from the colonial leadership. Since then there has always been a consistent blanket of silence on the issue of female representation that negates the traditional importance of women in the Nigerian society before colonialism. Nigerian women traditionally play salient roles including political leadership, as complementary effort to that of their male folk. This paper therefore critically reviews the issue of political leadership in Nigeria and the position of women especially during and after the 2011 general elections. It surveys in retrospect activities of women in the pre and post-colonial Nigeria. It also offers recommendations towards solving the identified traditional and social factors that inhibit women from political office. Keywords: Female representation, gender parity, 35% Affirmative action, 2011 general elections and pre/post-colonial role of Nigerian women.

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