The Presidential candidates of both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar were absent as the Labour Party and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) candidates, Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso joined others contesting for the position in 2023 to sign an agreement with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country on inclusive government.

The event put together by Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), Youth Hub Africa (YHA) and Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) the organisers said was a consolidated agenda to be used as an advocacy tool in the upcoming 2023 general election and beyond the election period.

Speaking, YHA board Chairman, Bukky Shonibare said the agreement was meant to secure the commitments to legal and policy reform from the top three candidates for the presidential, national assembly and governorship elections.

Shonibare said the document will also be used by CSOs to demand accountability from newly elected officials on the commitments they made on Governance Agenda for an Inclusive Nigeria (GAIN) during the public presentation.

Lamenting the poor level of vulnerable groups representation in the administration of the country, she said the commitment by candidates will also ensure that they make youth participation a deliberate part of national governance through affirmative action for 35percent of cabinet positions for youth under the ages of 45 across all states and the federal government.

Shonibare tasked the candidates with the need to facilitate women’s inclusion in internal party democracy, reduce the high cost of purchasing forms for election and end the stigmatisation of women political candidates.

The Chairman further urged them to direct the ministry of works to rehabilitate or construct all state-owned public infrastructure to be accessible for persons with disabilities if elected in 2023.

Also Speaking, Obi, who decried poor representation of women and youths in the administration of the country, said Nigeria cannot progress when the most productive demography is left out of government, promising that his administration, if elected in 2023 will commit to the affirmative action on women and youths, including the disability community.

On his part, Kwankwaso who alluded to the fact that many Nigerians are currently holding positions in most countries, ranging from Doctors, Ministers to congressmen, said an all-inclusive government is the surest way to the rapid development of the country.

Represented by his vice, Isaac Idhosa, he stated: “Let us now deal with the issue of inclusiveness of other political parties and kill the winners take all syndrome. This brings me back to our system of government, whereas in the presidential system it all depends on the honesty of the winner, if the election is very close and it goes to a runoff election, the parties for the election will shrink to a two-man race, that is one situation that forces politicians to try and have an all-inclusive election in order to form an all-inclusive government, many times that kind of agreements never see the light of the day.

“Because once the man is elected and announced the winner and he is sworn in, it only takes God to intervene for the person to keep to the agreements of accommodation of such pre-election all-inclusive government agreements.” (The Guardian)

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