New movement to enhance youth, women inclusiveness
Political economist, Pat Utomi, human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and humanitarian activist, Kennedy Iyere, have unveiled Nigerian Youths and Women Political Emancipation Movement (NYWOPEM) and launched #FixNASS2027 civic campaign
Political economist, Pat Utomi, human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and humanitarian activist, Kennedy Iyere, have unveiled Nigerian Youths and Women Political Emancipation Movement (NYWOPEM) and launched #FixNASS2027 civic campaign in Lagos.
The unveiling, organised by Youths Off The Street Initiative (YOTSI), brought together stakeholders from political platforms, civil society, youths, religious bodies and women-led bodies.
Iyere, founder of YOTSI, 40Million Ballots Movement, and convener, said NIYWOPEN was in response to ‘‘persistent under representation of youths and women in governance despite their numerical strength, which exceed 60 per cent of voting populace.
He said while young people and women constitute a significant proportion of registered voters, their representation in National Assembly and others remain comparatively low. ’’This has limited inclusive policy making and weakened public accountability.’’
Iyere says NIYWOPEM seeks to provide a unifying electoral engagement platform through which youths and women can politically-network towards electing themselves into political offices and ensuring their voting power is well exercised in deciding winners of elections, thereby enforcing responsible leadership that compels accountable governance through democratic means.
At the event, the group also launched “#FixNASS2027,” a political sensitisation and grassroots voter movement, championed by Nigerians and concerned elite, to provide a unified peer-to-peer electoral engagement, networking, sensitisation and mass mobilisation, where voters, especially youths and women, will run for legislative offices in 2027, and help other credible and patriotic Nigerians to win seats, to replace those in office, who have shown lack of independence, functionality, patriotism and respect for the electorate.
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Falana called on National Assembly to amend the new Electoral Act to make electronic transmission of results from polling units to INEC central server compulsory.
He said the demand became necessary following 2023 elections and subsequent Supreme Court judgments, which held that electronic transmission of results was optional under the current law.
Utomi said the launch of NIYWOPEN and FixNASS2027 signalled the beginning of sustained mobilisation to strengthen democratic participation and expanding opportunities for youths and women in Nigeria’s political landscape.
He reinforced the call for mandatory electronic transmission, describing arguments about network limitations as unfounded.
