‘How to Resolve Electoral Reform Crisis’

A group, Gender and Constitution Reform Network (GECORN) yesterday, urged the Federal Government to implement the National Gender Policy (NGP), as a means of resolving the controversy trailing the White Paper on the Justice Muhammed Uwais-led Electoral Reform Committee (ERC).
Besides "rejecting entirely the report of the White Paper", the group also called on the Joint Committee on Constitutional Reform (JCCR) to resolve it's differences by presenting a clear-time bound work plan for constitutional reform and their strategy to incorporate gender in their work.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the National Co-ordinator of GECORN, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said the continued rift dogging the JCCR was adversely affecting the nation's democratic structure.
Akiyode-Afolabi maintained that there was need for the constitution review process to prioritise issues on electoral reforms towards ensuring credible elections in 2011, especially by considering issues such as the 30 per cent affirmative action, proportional representation, party listing amongst others.
Speaking alongside Mimido Achakpa, who is also a co-ordinator in the North, Akiyode-Afolabi called on the Federal Government "to release to the general public the ERC report and the White Paper report officially, by incorporating the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Elimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol to the African charter on the rights of Women in Africa in their agenda as the 8-point agenda."

"GECORN is willing to mobilise all and sundry, men and women who believe in the cause of justice to resist any further attempt to suppress the aspiration of Nigerian women. We are ready to cause a gender revolution in this country," she said.
While noting that the "symbolic walk" was for women in Nigeria to say "Enough is Enough", Akiyode-Afolabi, warned that "women cannot continue to be passive in the governance of the nation".
According to her, "women in Nigeria are determined to see that our issues are in the front burner of the reform processes in Nigeria. Through this walk today, we say we are resolute to see that gender equality and equity is enthroned in Nigeria. We insist that any reform process that is not engendered is endangered and this can never lead to a lasting democracy.
"We call on all willing Nigerians to support women in Nigeria's call for a gender democracy. Not a democracy of marginalization and oppression; we have suffered enough and we are prepared to cause a revolution for gender justice. We want to be seen and heard in our motherland."