Some women in Borno State, yesterday, said that they were marginalised during the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections of candidates for various posts in the state.
Only one of the 22 female candidates, who contested for various elective posts on the platform of the APC, won the election.
Two of the candidates contested for the Senatorial primary election; eight contested for the House of Representatives; and 12 contested the state House of Assembly election.
The senatorial aspirants were: Dr Salma Kolo and Hajja Fati Kakenna, while a three-time member of the House of Representatives, Dr Asabe Vilita, lost to a male candidate.
Other aspirants for the lower chamber of the National Assembly include: Fanta Baba-Shehu; Kai-Ammuna Kadi, Inna Galadima, Aisha Umar, Fatima Kuttayi and Zarah Bukar.
Female aspirants for the State House of Assembly include: Rakiya Galadima, Lami Kaumi, Hauwa Ngwamta, Hadiza Ahmed and Mary Abdulkareem.
Others were: AishaWawa; Juliana Bitrus, Hauwa Magaji, Wasini Yakubu, Kwapchi Bata and Lubabatu Abdulkarim.
One of the candidates, Kakenna, who lost the election to the serving Sen. Habu Kyari (Borno North Senatorial District), condemned the exercise.
Kakenna, who is the women leader of the party, petitioned the Appeal Panel to nullify the exercise and declare her the winner of the election.
Speaking in separate interviews Bata and Abdulkarim expressed their sadness over their failure at the polls but they both said they had accepted the outcome of the exercise in good faith.
“The existing political structure favours male against their female counterpart. We are going to support and work for the party to sweep the polls.
“We are optimistic that proactive measures would be evolved to promote women participation in politics, to encourage growth of democratic culture and good governance,” Abdulkareem said.
An activist, Ms Lucy Yunana, described the outcome of the primary elections as a clear manifestation of domination by men.
Yunana noted that the exercise indicated that women attained zero per cent of political representation, against the 35 per cent declared in the Beijing charter.
Yunana called for measures to ensure full implementation of the Beijing Declaration in the state while also urging women to work as a team for the improvement of their well-being.
