Women in Benue State are fantastically serious about getting a huge cut in the 2027 general elections. The level of mobilisation and preparations has been intensely powerful. There have been bold and decisive steps to get involved in leadership and secure endorsements to contest for various seats in the forthcoming general elections.
The push by the women politicians in Benue State to be fully involved in leadership is not coming by accident, but through conscious steps that has seen some of them participating in political leadership skills programmes organised by UN Women, engaging in community outreach and mentorship programmes on advancing women participation in governance and leadership, a stronger advocacy at the national level to get as much as 74 additional seats exclusively for women in the National Assembly.
These efforts are being supported by the Nigerian government's National Gender Policy, which advocates for 35% affirmative action to increase women's representation in politics.
Organizations like the Nigerian League of Women Voters (NILOWV) are also working to support women through financial empowerment and political education.
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With the proposed legislation to add 74 seats exclusively for women in the federal parliaments, the women of Benue have refused to be onlookers, but active participants and beneficiaries.
It is on record that some political parties have also adopted voluntary quotas to increase women's representation.
The Benue State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Dr. Benjamin Omale has pitched his tent with the women, urging them to contest elective positions in the 2027 general elections, with a strong assurance of support for credible female aspirants.
Dr. Omale gave the charge in Makurdi when members of the Benue 2027 Female Aspirants Forum visited the State Executive Committee (Exco) members of the APC to declare their intentions and seek the party's backing.
The APC administration under Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia has aptly recognised the critical role of women in politics and governance. The governor has demonstrated commitment to inclusiveness through key appointments, including the emergence of the first female secretary to the state government.
The chairman commended the women for demanding greater inclusion, stressing that the party can not thrive without their contributions, saying they deserve at least 35 per cent slots of elective positions.
For the State APC Women Leader, Hon. Mrs. Helen Agaigbe, the women deserve more than 35%, but 50 per cent inclusivity in elective positions. She averred that two House of Assembly seats per senatorial zone should go to women, one House of Representatives slot in each zone and at least one senatorial seat.
The Coordinator of the Forum, Hon. Mrs. Blessing Aminde said women had consistently demonstrated loyalty and have the required electoral strength to make a difference.
Mrs Aminde is emphatic that a free and transparent primary process will give the women the chance to shine while advancing for waivers on nomination forms for female aspirants.
The women were unanimous that they had the capacity to lead. Representatives from the three senatorial zones; Hon. Mrs. Rachael Shir (Zone A), Victoria Vihikwagh (Zone B), and Otokpa Ihotu Gloria (Zone C) highlighted the mobilisation strength and capacity of women, while lamenting their underrepresentation in leadership.
They appealed to the party to provide a level playing field for women in the primaries and ensure broader inclusion in elective positions across the state.
In particular, the forum leader, who is an aspirant for Mata State Constituency said, "We have consulted our families and secured their full approval. We have also engaged APC leaders at the Ward and LGA levels across our constituencies. It is only proper that we extend these consultations to the state level for official recognition and support."
The delegation of Benue State APC Female Aspirants who stormed the party secretariat included Hon. Blessing Aminde, Hon. Gloria Otokpa Ihotu, Hon. Esther Hembafan Kunde, Hon. Kukase Garba, Rt. Hon. Ngunan Addingi, Hon. Mrs. Vihikwagh Victoria, Hon. Sedoo Kpaaye, Hon. Queen Ochepo, Hon. Florence Nyifan, Hon. Lilian Tarbo, Hon. Annas Ashaver, Hon. Kpadoo Atetan, Hon. Mngohol Tse-Neke, Hon. Ene Ochigbo, Hon. Charity Dum, Hon. Rachael Shir, Hon. Mercy Dooter, and Hon. Doom Akpoghol.
Speaking on behalf of aspirants from Benue North East Senatorial District, Zone A, Hon. Mrs. Vihikwagh Victoria said the visit was to solicit the party's blessing and institutional support ahead of the 2027 polls.
"We have stood by the APC through every election cycle. Now is the time for the men to stand with us. We are not in a contest against men; we are partners in progress. But with women and youths constituting the largest voting bloc, female representation is no longer optional -- it is strategic," she declared.
For Hon. Mrs. Rachael Shir, the aspirant for Benue South Senatorial District and representative of female aspirants from Zone B, gender equity in the electoral process is not negotiable.
"What a man can do, a woman can do better," she asserted, and demanded for a level playing field, to ensure free, fair, and transparent primaries, including waivers on nomination forms for all female aspirants.
"If given the opportunity, we will justify every ounce of confidence reposed in us," she assured.
Mrs. Otokpa Ihotu Gloria -- a vocal advocate for freedom, justice, and fairness, and a frontrunner APC aspirant in Benue South -- highlighted the grassroots strength of women and also urged the APC to guarantee a level playing field during the primaries and to broaden female inclusion in elective offices across Benue State "in line with the 35 percent affirmative action principle".
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"We appeal to the leader of Benue APC, His Excellency Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, and the State Executive Working Committee to prioritize women. A society where women are happy is a society where men are truly happy," she noted.
In the words of Hon. Esther Kunde, aspirant for the Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency and PRO of the APC Benue Female Aspirants Forum, women's empowerment is akin to national development.
"The hallmark of a progressive society is the empowerment of its women and youths. Empower a woman, and you empower the nation," Kunde said.
"We are willing, able, and ready to work with our parents, husbands, uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters if nominated and elected."
There was broad support for this agitation from other party leaders, including State Deputy Chairman, Hon. Alphonsus Indyur, Secretary, Hon Solomon Kachinah, Assistant Secretary, Hon. Jacob Okpe, Publicity Secretary, Hon. Saawuan Benedict Yawe, and other members of the state working and non-working committees of the party.
An elated Agaigbe, the state women leader, saluted the aspirants for their courage and called on Governor Alia and the APC to take bolder steps toward gender parity during the nomination of candidates for the 2027 elections.
- Bridget Tikyaa, Principal Special Assistant to the Governor on Media Publicity and Communications Strategy
