CYRIL MBAH, Abuja
The Inter-party Advisory Council, the umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria, has accepted to move the inclusion of women in political and leadership positions forward by adopting the pairing of women to every executive positions available for election in the interest of equity and balancing.
Known as the twinning formula, the policy has been embedded into the constitution of the Inter-party Advisory Council, and took effect from the last elective meeting of the group which took place early this month.
The APC Deputy National Women Leader, Hajiya Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim, who is also staunch advocate for women’s inclusion in politics, disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja on Monday adding that the IPAC accepted the twinning formula as a mark of respect and recognition for the positive role that women can play in stabilising the nation’s politics.
Hajiya Ibrahim, who was elected Deputy National Chairman of IPAC at the December 8 meeting, also commended the exemplary attitude of leaders in the group for accepting the worth of women and for agreeing to amicably work with them for the growth of the nation.
Hajiya Zainab explained the situation thus: “On the 8th of December, 2024, the IPAC executive election was held at the IPAC National Secretariat in Garki. The election was conducted and monitored by INEC, as provided for in the Constitution. I am glad and excited to tell you that I was elected as the Deputy National Chairman of IPAC. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this is the first time a female has been elected into that position. This is a clear testimony that IPAC is leading the way for inclusive governance.
“Last year, around December, INEC mandated IPAC to draft a constitution to guide its activities and conduct, rather than having a code of conduct. We converged in Lagos to draft the IPAC Constitution. I am glad to inform you that in the IPAC Constitution, we adopted what is known as the twinning formula.
“In some places, it is known as the zebra system, where you have a male as the chief executive and a female as the deputy chief executive. So, in IPAC, our Constitution states that if the chairman is male, automatically the deputy must be female. Where the secretary is male, automatically the deputy will be female, and vice versa.
“This is a clear testimony that when women are on the decision-making table, they advocate and promote policies that favour inclusion. I was there, and I know how long it took us—about five days—to have the twinning formula adopted and included in the Constitution.
“As a result, the deputy of every office must be of the opposite gender. It is now inscribed in the IPAC Constitution that there must always be at least two females in the IPAC Executive. That is what happened. Today, IPAC now has three women in its executive, instead of the zero gender inclusion level we previously had. Standing before you now is the Deputy National Chairman of IPAC—the Inter-Party Advisory Council. IPAC was established to create dialogue and foster cordial relationships among political parties and to deepen democracy.”
Zainab stated that as a member of the ruling party, being at the helm of affairs in IPAC gives her an edge and IPAC will also benefit immensely from her position as a member of the ruling party.
“I intend to be a pillar of stability to promote dialogue and consensus among political parties. I will also ensure the promotion of electoral integrity by championing the implementation of the Electoral Act and ensuring compliance by all parties. I will promote inclusivity by carrying along vulnerable groups—persons with disabilities, youths, and especially women.”
The APC deputy women leader also promised to champion electoral and democratic reforms by ensuring IPAC’s recommendations are taken seriously by the ruling party, both in the legislative and executive arms of government.
“Going forward, I will also ensure that IPAC leads by example by setting standards for internal democracy, transparency, and accountability.
Furthermore, I will foster dialogue and respond to opposition concerns constructively, ensuring mutual respect rather than toxic rivalry. IPAC is not an opposition body; the ruling party is also a member.
“I will ensure that the vision and objectives of my party are clearly understood within IPAC so that stakeholders can understand the government’s direction,” she stated adding also that IPAC relates strictly with the INEC and does not take sides with factions of political parties. “It is the names of party leaders on INEC portal that IPAC works with. We do not concern ourselves with factional disputes,” she concluded.
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