The Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Mrs. Ene Obi, has lamented the poor showing of women in Edo Governorship Election.
Mrs. Obi, who was speaking on the election that took place on Saturday in Edo State to elect a new governor for the state, said it was sad that of the 18 candidates that contested the election, only one of them was a woman, Ms. Patience Ndidi Key.
Ene wondered why it was not possible to find qualified women to contest the election, saying that what happened in Edo State was a setback for a country in the quest to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which talks about gender equality.
“We can’t be telling people that we want more recognition for the female gender and we cannot find them qualified to run for the position of governor,” she said.
Key had said her aspiration was about bringing her vision for the development of Edo State to fruition and urged the people of Edo State not to make a mistake of returning the people she said had taken this state backward.
“Leadership is meant for visionaries. Leadership is meant for those who understand commitment and compassion. Leadership is given to people who can be transparent, who can stand accountable, and be trustworthy,” she said.
She said women’s quest for leadership was not meant to represent the interest of women only.
“When women stand, we don’t just represent women, we represent the nation. We represent our men, we represent our boys, and we represent our girls,” she added
