By Ifeizu Joe
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has lent its voice to calls for support for greater number of women to participate in politics and governance in Nigeria.
The call was made when the party convened a National Women’s Summit at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, with the theme: “Advancing Women Inclusion in Politics and Governance.”
The summit brought together women leaders, political stakeholders, civil society actors, and gender advocates from across the country for a robust, nonpartisan conversation on increasing women’s representation in Nigeria’s political and governance spaces.
The APGA National Leader and Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo who was represented by the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim in his goodwill message, stated that attempting to exclude women from politics and governance is akin to trying to clap with just one hand.
He said: “For our democracy and development to be complete, women must be at the center of decision-making.”
The APGA National Chairman, Mr Sly Ezeokenwa who declared the summit open stated that the party’s decision to host the dialogue was driven by the conviction that national development cannot be achieved when more than half of the population remains underrepresented.
“This summit is not about APGA alone. It is about Nigeria. When women are excluded from the table, policies become incomplete. Advancing women inclusion is not a favor to women, it is an investment in better governance for all Nigerians,” he said.
