By Chinedum Treasure
A group, ElectHER has commended Anambra state for remaining the only state in Nigeria to have produced a female governor amidst national declines in women’s representation.
The group also lauded the state for producing the highest number of female senators (4, tied with Lagos), and six female federal ministers across administrations.
Chief Executive Officer, ElectHER, Ibijoke Faborode made the commendation in Awka the state capital while officially unveiling the Gender Situation Room and sharing findings from the group’s Pre-Election Assessment for the state governorship election.
She said, “Despite national declines in women’s representation, Anambra stands as a beacon of progress — the only state in Nigeria to have produced a female governor.
“The state has also produced the highest number of female senators (4, tied with Lagos), and six female federal ministers
across administrations.
“Notably, the 2025 election reflects an all-time high of 37.5% women as deputy governorship candidates — a record that continues Anambra’s legacy of
pioneering women’s leadership in governance.
According to Faborode, the group’s Gender Situation Room would deploy 226 field observers across all 21 LGAs
in the State as well as host joint Data Centre to ensure coordinated observation, analysis, and rapid reporting throughout the election period.
“The Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) will deploy 100 trained stationary observers across all 21 Local
Government Areas of the State.
“These observers were randomly selected to ensure representative coverage of communities. Observers will report through the Gender and Election Watch (GEW) App, enabling realtime submission, verification, and analysis of field data.
“In addition, NWTF has established a fully equipped GEW Situation Room in Awka, staffed with 10 technical experts from diverse backgrounds, including media, academia, civil society, and election monitoring.
“The Gender Situation Room, hosted under Component 5A of the EU-SDGN Programme, is a collaborative initiative of ElectHER and the NWTF.
“The Situation Room will analyse field reports, identify trends, and issue updates throughout election day.
“Through this initiative, NWTF aims to promote credible, transparent, and inclusive elections where women, men, and other marginalized groups can participate freely and equally.
“Our aim is to strengthen women’s participation, electoral transparency, and
inclusivity.”
Appreciating the European Union, through the EU-SDGN Programme for making the collaboration possible, ElectHER boss restated the group’s commitment to evidence-based advocacy, using gender-disaggregated data to drive reforms and accountability.
NWTF called for strengthening gender-sensitive electoral guidelines within INEC, institutionalizing gender quotas and reducing nomination fees in political parties.
It also advocated enhancing security and establishing confidential reporting systems for electoral gender-based violence as well as promoting gender-sensitive media coverage and inclusive political discourse.
