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The Women for 35% Initiative of the AJU Morgan Elumelu Foundation has condemned the impeachment of Hon. Mrs. Alice Tangi Allen, the Executive Chairman of Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and the only woman among the eight elected local government chairmen in the state.
In a statement issued by the initiative and signed by its Founder, Amb. AJU Elumelu, it described the development as deeply troubling, particularly against the backdrop of reports of alleged political pressure and harassment surrounding Allen since the recent political transition in the state.
Allen was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and sworn into office on May 29, 2024. The initiative said she received a mandate from the people of Sagbama Local Government Area and that the mandate ought to be respected in accordance with democratic principles and the rule of law.
According to the Women for 35% Initiative, there had been reports that Allen was allegedly pressured, intimidated and politically harassed over her refusal to defect from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The organisation said it had deliberately refrained from making public statements while the situation unfolded, preferring to observe developments and hope that dialogue and respect for democratic principles would resolve the matter.
It said it was therefore particularly concerned that the situation had eventually culminated in Allen’s impeachment.
The initiative also expressed concern over reports that Hon. Diepreye Rosline Yankee, who was elected as Councillor and Leader of the House, had subsequently been sworn in as Acting Chairman of Sagbama Local Government Area.
It argued that the reported sequence of events raised fundamental questions about political freedom, the security of electoral mandates and the future of women’s participation in governance.
“If an elected Local Government Chairman can be pressured to abandon the political party under which she was elected and subsequently face impeachment after refusing to do so, and if another person can then be secretly sworn in to occupy the position, then we must ask ourselves: What does this mean for the future of democracy and women’s participation in politics in Nigeria?” the statement asked.
The organisation stressed that Allen’s situation had significance beyond partisan politics, describing her as one of the few Nigerian women who had successfully overcome the barriers confronting women seeking political leadership.
It noted that her position as the only female local government chairman among Bayelsa State’s eight local government areas made the development particularly significant in the context of the campaign for greater women’s representation in governance.
The Women for 35% Initiative questioned the implications of such developments for women being encouraged to contest elections and seek political leadership.
“What happens when a woman actually wins? What happens when she refuses to be politically intimidated? What happens when she chooses to exercise her political freedom and remain with the party under which she was elected?” it asked.
The initiative said its intervention was not intended to support one political party against another, but to defend women’s participation in democratic governance and advocate for an environment where elected women can serve their mandates without political coercion or discrimination.
It therefore condemned what it described as any intimidation, harassment, coercion or political victimisation directed at Allen or any other woman holding public office.
The organisation called on relevant authorities, democratic institutions, civil society organisations, women’s groups and advocates of democracy to closely examine developments in Sagbama and ensure that the rights and dignity of elected officials are protected.
It also urged all parties involved to pursue available constitutional and legal channels to resolve the dispute peacefully, transparently and in accordance with the law.
According to the initiative, the struggle for 35 per cent affirmative action goes beyond increasing the number of women occupying political offices.
It said the objective must also include creating a political environment in which women can contest, win, remain in office, exercise their constitutional rights and complete their mandates without intimidation or discrimination.
The organisation further questioned why women remain underrepresented in political leadership and what message is being sent to younger women when those who overcome existing barriers are allegedly subjected to pressure and removal.
“Hon. Mrs. Alice Tangi Allen deserves the right to have her case treated fairly, transparently and in accordance with the law,” the statement said.
The Women for 35% Initiative reaffirmed its commitment to defending women’s participation in governance, declaring that it would continue to speak out against the intimidation of women exercising their democratic rights.
It also emphasised that women’s political inclusion should not end with granting them the opportunity to contest elections.
“Women must not only be given a seat at the table. They must be allowed to remain at the table,” the organisation declared.
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