Just a week before the election of the governor of Anambra, women’s groups raised objections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on their recommendations to female voters in the state to avoid wearing makeup at polling stations or facing the risk of being deprived of the right to vote. 

Chika Osuji, deputy director of INEC’s Gender Affairs Department, who provided advice, said that this is necessary because the agency will deploy a dual-mode voter authentication system (BVAS) to capture the faces of voters during voting.

Speaking at the Voter Education and Advocacy Forum for Disabled and Women’s Groups organized by the International Electoral System Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Election and Political Process Strengthening Consortium, Osuji said: “BVAS will be used during the Anambra Governor’s election. So that voters can use their fingerprints during the polling station authentication period.

"I know that many women may not be able to hire makeup artists due to restricted mobility; but for those who cannot do without makeup, we call on you to minimize the level of painting. If we cannot read your fingerprints, we can read yours Face, if we cannot read your face, you are not a registered voter and we will not allow you to participate."

Regarding this development, Anuli Ola-Olaniyi, the founder of HEIR Women's Development, stated that it is impossible for electoral agencies to prohibit women from exercising their right to vote, and suggested that the committee should educate women on what to do and what not to do and recommendations will be applied to election day.

"When I saw the title of this story, I laughed because the topic is too sensational. First, I have questions about the title. I think our media needs to better report such things. If we use BVAS to vote , And it is said that the system can capture certain features of a person’s face, which is required for voting, so I suggest that we follow the rules as much as possible. The last time I went to vote was in 2015, my fingerprints were to be captured, and I couldn’t I don’t clean my thumb separately because I sweat too much and it’s not captured properly. There are some rules for the use of these tools that we can’t control.

"For example, for international passports, some countries require you to take passport photos in a certain way. Some rules stipulate that your face must not be covered in any way; you must not have hair in front of your face, because the person who gave you the visa cannot To your entire face. Some people insist on a white background and other requirements.

"The key is that there are rules for these tools and how to use them. Some people insist on tying your hair into a ponytail. If you have a middle part, you will be told to put your hair behind your ears before being arrested. All of this Just for proper identification purposes and will not be blocked when you show your passport anywhere.

"This system is structured like this, but I have questions about how they say that women will be banned from voting if they put on makeup. You can’t ban women from putting on makeup or voting because they put on makeup. I think it’s wiser to let people, especially women Learn how to use this special tool for registration and how it can benefit us to ensure that all the rules and regulations for voting in the Anambra election are respected," Ola-Oranii said. She frowned at the way the information was delivered, describing it as insensitive and terrible.

"However, if I were to vote on election day, makeup is not a priority for me, but to make sure I get there early to line up to vote; this is even more important for me. As they have already said, if you put on Putting on lip gloss and a little makeup is good, but remember, the goal is to get a person to be recognized and vote," she said.

Bose Ironsi, executive director of the Women's Rights and Health Project, said the problem is exaggerated. "Women are forbidden to vote in elections because of trivial things like makeup, and they should not even be said out loud. Besides, elections are generally in the morning. On days when they are not at work, how many women will show up with makeup on their faces? Let’s imagine that some people will actually show up in this way that day. What we should do is to let them know that the current system may not be able to capture their images correctly, instead of threatening to prevent them from exercising their rights. There are many pressing issues. They need their attention, such as the safety of female voters, the credibility of the election, and the vote count of women who vote. Make-up can be easily erased, but violence against women during elections is very common, but it cannot. The latter is the latter. What they should focus on," she said.

Ngozi Nwosu-Juba, project director of Vision Spring Initiatives, said that INEC decided to ban heavy makeup for women before the Anambra election. This is a case of chasing shadows and leaving substance.

She said: "The electoral law clearly stipulates that elections are the civic duty and responsibility of citizens of any country and individuals who have reached the age of election and have a stable mind.

"Unfortunately, Nigeria is currently facing the challenges of insecurity, kidnapping, kidnapping and high-frequency abuse from state and non-state actors. These are urgent issues that may affect Nigerians' franchise rights. This should be the focus of INEC. , Rather than the appearance of women, this poses no threat to the election. This statement by INEC further devalues ​​women, placing them in a situation of ridicule and physical humiliation, while portraying INEC as a non-serious institution.

“Nigerian women, who make up almost half of the population, are marginalized in leadership and decision-making positions. The current government, political parties, and other institutions have not taken concrete steps to bridge this gap. The government believes that the national gender of 35% of women in leadership positions The policy is inappropriate. The Gender and Equal Opportunities Act faces setbacks in the National Assembly. People would think that this will be the focus of INEC."

Nwosu-Juba also pointed out that the separatists had threatened to ensure that the election would not be held, and said that this should be an issue of INEC's concern, not the performance of women on election day.

"Every Monday the southeastern states are completely blocked and threatened to close for a week during the election week in Anambra. Regrettably, INEC chose to take a very unpopular stance on these issues, which further portrays the insensitivity of the Nigerian nation. And the patriarchal nature.

"I call on INEC to refocus on the urgent issues related to the elections in the country and to ensure that credible elections are held in Anambra, where women and men can safely exercise their right to vote," she added.

Regarding Nkechi Obiagbaoso-Udegbunam, Executive Director of the Initiative for Women and Girls’ Rights Promotion (IWOGRA), INEC’s comments are unfounded.

According to her, if left to fly, it will eventually lead to Nigerian women’s makeup regulations.

"It is unreasonable to ban women who wear heavy makeup for the convenience of facial capture. During the arrest process for obtaining permanent voter identification (PVC), most women wear makeup and they are not told to remove makeup before being arrested. This way. Women vote in the election without makeup, how do they tell?

"More importantly, women have the right to have physical autonomy. They should decide what happens to their bodies without any form of supervision that is said to have a long-term impact on this right. Therefore, everyone must condemn The INEC ban, otherwise it will lead to future legislation regulating how women should beautify themselves," she said.