The gender desk officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Suweiba Hamisu made the call during a town hall meeting with women groups and gender-focused Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, in Katsina, north-west Nigeria.

At the meeting, the gender desk officer of INEC explained that there has been a gap between women and politics over the decades, but INEC has come to bridge that gap by accommodating women in some political positions.

In a paper titled “2019 general elections: update on INEC's preparedness towards the elections and election day procedure” delivered by the head, voter education and publicity Muhammad Takai, INEC said it is fully ready to deliver a credible, free and fair polls assuring women not to have any cause to worry.

Speaking on the importance of women in politics, the coordinator of civic advancement for rural empowerment initiative, Ismail Bello said, based on the statistics released by INEC, over fifty per cent of registered voters are women; therefore, there was a need to mobilize them to engage in politics even as they face numerous challenges.

During the interactive session, some women representatives of gender-based Civil Society Organisations commended INEC and the organisers but not without some comments such as the timing, security issues, provision of convenience for women at polling centres among others.