A non-governmental organization, ElectHer, has called for more female electoral officers and female security officers to be deployed for elections in order to boost the confidence of women in their participation in the electoral process.
The group explained that female voters often feel intimidated by a male-dominated security presence during elections.
While presenting the pre-assessment analysis for the Ondo State off-cycle election, the Chief Executive Officer of the organization, Ibironke Faborode, revealed that since 1999, women’s political participation in Ondo State has remained limited.
During the presentation held in Akure, the state capital on Friday Faborode stated that “this election cycle illustrates these barriers, with zero percent female representation in the governorship race and a mere 5.9 percent for deputy governorship candidates, down from 17.7 percent in the previous elections and 14.3 percent in 2016.
On his part, the Head of Programmes of the organization, Olarotimi Olaitan stated that despite comprising about half of the voting population and contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of the state, there is no female gubernatorial candidate on the ballot and only one female deputy governorship candidate.
He said, “As we reflect on the political landscape of this election, it is disheartening to note the persistent underrepresentation of women. This unfortunate reality highlights the continued exclusion of women from leadership positions in our democratic processes—a challenge we at ElectHER are deeply committed to addressing.
“In line with our mission to drive gender-inclusive governance, ElectHER will be deploying a total of 150 observers across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State. Of these, 100 observers will collect live, gender-centric data on Election Day through our Verified Election Observers (VEO) Portal, powered by Hernalytics, ElectHER’s pioneering election technology platform.
“This innovative approach demonstrates how technology can transform elections by ensuring data-driven transparency and accountability while amplifying gender-related insights.
“We are also proud to announce the ElectHER-NWTF Joint Gender Situation Room, made possible with funding from the European Union through the EU-SDGN II Programme. This platform will provide real-time analysis and documentation of gender trends and dynamics during the election.
“For the first time, ElectHER will also be piloting its Election Expert Support Programme, which brings two exceptional experts into our observation mission: Professor Olawale Ajai, Professor of Legal, Social, and Political Environment of Business and Head, Department of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Lagos Business School. And Dr. Idongesit Eteng, Head of Department, Computer Science, University of Calabar.
“Their participation is a testament to the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in achieving a more inclusive and credible electoral process. I would like to take this opportunity to invite them to introduce themselves, share insights into their roles, and highlight how their expertise will strengthen our observation mission.
“As we embark on this critical mission together, I want to express my gratitude to all of you—our colleagues, partners, and members of the press—for your commitment to advancing inclusive governance. I wish everyone a safe and impactful observation experience, and I look forward to seeing the collective impact of our efforts.”
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