Dear Women in Politics: Mend Fences, Win Elections, Serve the People

Dear Women in Politics: Mend Fences, Win Elections, Serve the People

By Dr. Gloria Laraba Shoda,mni, MFR.

As Nigeria enters another season of political campaigns and electioneering, I wish to speak directly to my sisters across the country—women contesting elections, those seeking party tickets, women already in elective or appointive positions, and young women taking their first steps into politics.

This is a season that calls for courage, wisdom, unity, strategy and integrity.
My message is simple: mend fences, win elections and, above all, serve the people.

Mend Fences: Don't Let Politics Destroy Relationships

To every woman preparing for an election, I urge you to look around and ask: Are there political relationships that need to be repaired? Are there disagreements that can be resolved? Are there bridges that should be rebuilt?

If the answer is yes, this is the time to act.
Political contests can create disagreements and rivalries, particularly within the same party. But political circumstances change.

The person competing against you today may become your ally tomorrow.

There are no permanent enemies in politics.
Therefore, do not allow temporary political disagreements to destroy relationships permanently.

Let us disagree without becoming enemies, compete without destroying one another, and pursue our ambitions without losing our humanity.

The timeless warning remains relevant:
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Reconciliation is not weakness; it is political maturity.

Win Elections: Campaign With Strategy

My dear sisters, good intentions alone do not win elections.
If you want to win, campaign strategically.
Know your constituency. Understand the issues affecting your people.
Listen before you speak. Identify the needs of women, young people, families, workers, entrepreneurs and vulnerable members of your community.

Take your message to the grassroots. Build genuine relationships. Use traditional and digital media intelligently.

Mobilise women and young people. Above all, communicate your vision clearly and consistently.

Do not make your campaign entirely about attacking your opponents.

Tell the people what you stand for, what you intend to achieve and why you deserve their trust.

A good campaign should not merely generate excitement; it should generate confidence.

As Eleanor Roosevelt wisely observed: “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader.”

Let your campaign give people reasons to believe in you.

Lost the Party Ticket? Don't Lose Your Political Future
To women who expected to secure their party's ticket but were unsuccessful, I say: do not allow disappointment to destroy your political future.

Losing a primary can be painful. You may feel hurt, overlooked or betrayed. But one political setback does not define your destiny.

Please, do not respond to disappointment by engaging in anti-party activities.

Such actions can create doubts about your loyalty, discipline and reliability in the minds of party leaders and colleagues.

If you choose to remain in the party, remain loyal and support its legitimate candidates and collective interests.

If, after careful consideration, you conclude that you can no longer remain in that political party, make your decision honourably and leave.

But do not remain in a political house while deliberately working to bring it down.
Loyalty is an investment in your political future.

The woman who loses a ticket today may receive another opportunity tomorrow.

Your maturity, discipline and loyalty may be remembered when another leadership opportunity or political appointment arises.

Your political career is much bigger than one primary election.

Serve the People: Victory Must Become Responsibility
Winning an election is only the beginning.
My greatest appeal to every woman seeking political office is this: remember the promises you make during your campaign.

Do not allow the excitement of victory to make you forget the people who gave you their votes.

If you promise empowerment, pursue it.
If you promise better opportunities for women and young people, work to create them.

If you promise improved education, healthcare, infrastructure, security or economic opportunities, do everything within your mandate to deliver.

The true measure of a politician is not how many people attend her rallies, but the difference her leadership makes in the lives of the people she represents.

Let Nigerians look at women in political leadership and confidently say:

“Whatever men can do, women can do too—and women can do it even better.”
That is the standard we must set.

Let Women Lift Women
There is another responsibility we must embrace: women must support women.

We cannot demand greater representation of women in politics while simultaneously pulling down women who are already making the journey.

When a woman succeeds, let her success inspire another woman.
Let the younger support the older ones to succeed.

When a young woman enters politics, let us mentor rather than intimidate her.

When a sister contests an election, encourage her. When she makes mistakes, correct her constructively. When she succeeds, celebrate her.

As Hillary Clinton once said: “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.”

Nigeria must not leave that reservoir untapped.
We need more women in the corridors and seats of power—not merely for numbers, but because women have important perspectives, experiences and leadership capacities that Nigeria needs.

Our responsibility is not only to occupy political positions ourselves, but also to open doors for the women coming behind us.
Let experienced women mentor young women. Let established leaders create opportunities for emerging leaders. Let us build a culture of political sisterhood.

Mend Fences. Win Elections. Serve the People.
My dear sisters, as we enter this election season, let us remember three things:
Mend fences.

Do not allow political rivalry to permanently destroy relationships.

Win elections.
Campaign intelligently, strategically and with a clear message that gives people confidence in your leadership.

Serve the people.
When victory comes, remember that political office is a responsibility, not a personal reward.

And to those who do not win, remember that one election does not determine the whole story of your political life.

Let us campaign with dignity, compete with courage, accept political outcomes with maturity and remain committed to building a better Nigeria.

Above all, let us stand together.
When women support women, when experienced women mentor younger women, and when women combine courage, competence and character, the political landscape of Nigeria can change.

Let no woman who breaks a political barrier be the last.

Let every woman who enters the corridor of power help another woman find her way in.

Let us build a generation of Nigerian women who will not only seek power, but will use power responsibly.

Mend fences. Win elections. Serve the people.

And when history looks back at this generation of Nigerian women, let it say that we did not merely ask for a place at the table—we came prepared to lead, deliver and make a difference.

The future of Nigerian women in politics is not something we should wait for. It is something we must build—together.

Dr. Gloria Laraba Shoda, mni,MFR.
President, African Regional Council of Women and Board Member, International Council of Women, ICW.
President, Africa League of Women Voters (ALWOV)
Former President, National Council for Women Societies (NCWS)