Muhammad Sabiu
Barely two weeks after the general elections, the Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA) has trained 24 women lawyers as observers in Kaduna to report indices of electoral violence before and during the elections across the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State.
Declaring the training open, the Country’s Vice president /National President, Amina Agbaje said the one-day training is expected to train accredited lawyers as observers during the forthcoming general elections.
“They are expected to observe, document and report incidences of electoral violence perpetrated against women before and during the 2023 general elections.
Represented by FIDA state chairman Aisha Abdu Muhammad, Agbaje remarked that the training was implemented across the four focal states of Kwara, Borno, Plateau, and Kaduna.
According to her, the eradication of political violence is key to advancing women’s political participation, noting, that usually women and girls are always victims of outbreaks of violence.
Presenting a paper on “Purpose of Observation, Reporting and Documentation of election violence against women, Abu Ayuba, the Programme and Administration officer, FIDA charged participants to be disciples, modest and strict adherence to INEC guidelines.
” They should also be aware of electoral law, reporting every single thing you see and you are not expected to be biased, he added.
Speaking, Secretary FIDA Kaduna Branch, Funke Banukole said the participants were accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to identify, observe, document and report incidences of
violence perpetrated against women in elections.
She also said 24 women lawyers took part in the training and they are expected to cover the 23 local government areas of the state during the elections.
“We believe after the exercise. We intend to see more women participation, she stressed.
