A Minna based woman activist,Barrister Maryam Haruna Kolo, has decried the increasing denial of women to contest an elective position by men.
She described the trend as unhealthy to the current Democratic setting and unacceptable.
Barrister Maryam Kolo noted that if the trend is allowed to continue it will not augur well for the country's social political and Democratic setting stressing that women as nation builders need to be allowed to participate and contest for elective positions like men.
Fielding questions from Journalists in Minna Tuesday,Maryam Kolo warned that allowing the trends to continue,will amount to injustice and unfair to women.
“ Men are intimidating us. We have the strength, we have the largest population. We are the people that turn out in various polling units to vote. But we are now being intimidated and harassed by men.
“ This is not fair, it is unjust and ungodly for men to continue in every election year. Men will use all sorts of elements to deny women from contesting any elective position. We will not and will never allow ourselves to be harassed and intimidated any more”Maryam
declared.
According to the former and pioneer Director General Niger State Child Right Agency (NSCRA), knowing fully well, women turn out in their large and numerical population at various polling units across the country,”that posed a serious threat to them which is their reason of denying us our chance to compete with them at the polls”
She stressed that women will continue to contest any elective positions, no matter the campaign of calumny and intimidation adding, “no amount of their threat,intimidation and harassment will deterred us from contesting in any elections”
Barrister Maryam Kolo charged various women organisations,women activist,non governmental organisations and other women critical stakeholders across the country to stand by women by raising their voice in the defence “of this unwholesome violence against women during elections”
Speaking further, the former director general posited that the denial of women participation in politics to contest for elective position on its own is also violence against women.
