We are asking Nigerian women to choose leaders who stand with them, not those who offer rice and wrapper, and to support Senator Seriake Dickson for his work on women’s inclusion.

Watch our message to women below.

Women are the backbone of Nigeria’s elections. We queue, we mobilise, we cook, we sing and we vote. Yet when the votes are counted and the seats are shared, women are still missing from the tables where decisions are made.

For too long, politics has treated women as a crowd to be impressed with small gifts at election time.

The gifts are gone in a few days. The decisions made by the people who win last for years. They shape our schools, our hospitals, our markets and our daughters’ chances.

That is why Women for 35% has a simple message for women across the country: do not trade your vote for rice and wrapper.

So we are asking women to choose differently. Choose the leaders who stand with women, not the ones who simply show up with handouts.

Ask what they have done, and what they will do, to bring women into governance.

This is where Senator Seriake Dickson comes in.

As our Patron, he has spoken openly about the structural, financial and political barriers that keep capable Nigerian women out of leadership. As Governor of Bayelsa State, he took steps to strengthen women’s participation and representation. He continues to back affirmative action and other measures that can increase the number of women in governance.

He has not asked women to wait. He understands that representation is a democratic necessity, not a favour. And he has chosen to amplify our voice instead of speaking over it.

For that reason, we are calling on women to support Senator Dickson as he seeks another mandate in the Senate. We do so because of his record and his commitment to inclusion.

Our movement exists so that women are no longer counted only as voters, supporters and mobilisers. We want women to be seen, heard, represented and empowered to lead.

Your vote is your voice. Use it for those who will use their power to open doors for women.

Her Voice. Her Vote. Her Future.