Akpabio: "Why Women Are Not Winning Election in Nigeria"
- Sente President Godswill Akpabio has lamented the under-representation of women in the legislative arms of government in Nigeria
- Akpabio noted that women, despite making up half of the electorate, don't usually vote for their fellow women during elections
- The Senate president made the comment while hosting a high-level delegation from the European Union Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee
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Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, has said that the reason women are not winning elections in Nigeria is that they are not being supported by their fellow women.
The Senate president made the comment while hosting a high-level delegation from the European Union Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, which was led by David McAllister, at the national assembly in Abuja on Tuesday, October 25.
Source: Twitter
Why are women not much in the NASS
According to Akpabio, women often vote against their fellow women, making it difficult to have more female representation in elective positions. His statement reads in part:
“Women often vote for male candidates, making it difficult for female candidates to win elections.”
Akpabio, a two-term governor of Akwa Ibom, expressed concern about the persistent gender imbalance in Nigeria's political space, adding that, though women made up half of the electorate, their representation in parliament was among the lowest in Africa.
This came amid his month-long rift with one of the four current senators in the Upper Chamber, Natasha Akpoti Usuaghan. Natasha is representing Kogi Central. She came to the Senate after a long legal battle with the APC. Aside from Natasha, other current female senators are Ireti Kingibe (FCT), Idiat Oluranti Adebule (Lagos West), and Ipalibo Banigo (Rivers West).
Akpabio vs Natasha
Since February 2025, when the senator had a public confrontation with Akpabio, the duo have become political enemies. Natasha has accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, a development that has led to a legal battle between her and the Senate president.
In another case, Senator Natasha is charged with the suit of criminal defamation before the FCT High Court, while she is facing charges of alleged cybercrime at the Federal High Court. The two suits were in relation to her claim against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the immediate past governor of Kogi, Yahaya Bello.
Natasha had publicly accused Akpabio and Yahaya Bello of plotting to assassinate her. When the hearing resumed at the FCT High Court, the federal government lawyer, David Kaswe, explained that though the case was scheduled for the hearing of the preliminary objection of Natasha, they had filed a counter-affidavit, and the defendant had not been served.
Source: Twitter
Ex-minister accuses FG of planning to jail Natasha
Legit.ng earlier reported that Kogi senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan's legal tussle initiated by the federal government had commenced hearing at the Federal High Court.
Oby Ezekwesili, the former minister of Education, who witnessed the hearing on Thursday, June 19, said that the federal government asked the court to send the senator to prison.
However, the former minister disclosed that the court declined the prayer of the federal government lawyers and granted bail to Senator Natasha.
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Source: Legit.ng
