By Estelle Shirbon

ABUJA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - When Toyin George-Taylor announced she wanted to stand for election as a member of the Lagos state house of assembly, the male members of her party ward told her to drop it as all the seats were reserved for men.

She persisted, but her foray into Nigeria's male-dominated politics has been traumatic. Ridiculed by her rivals and fearful of their hired guns, she has not been home for two months and has watched helplessly as party primaries were violently rigged.

George-Taylor was one of hundreds of Nigerian women candidates, civil society activists, government officials and voters who gathered in the capital Abuja on Thursday to fight against marginalisation ahead of next year's landmark elections.

"In my local area I am the first woman to contest an election and it seems offensive to the men," George-Taylor told Reuters on the sidelines of the event.

"They tried to persuade me to drop my candidacy and go for a lower position but why should I do that? I have credentials and I believe it is my turn to serve," said George-Taylor, a school principal who also runs her own women's rights NGO.

Nigerians are due to elect their president, state governors and state and national lawmakers next April in polls that should mark the first democratic transition from one government to the next in Africa's most populous country.

But the elections face numerous obstacles. Voter registration has been slow and chaotic, while rigging, violence and bribery have marred party primaries across the nation.

George-Taylor said it was very difficult for a woman to find a voice amid all the thuggery and intimidation.

DANGEROUS

In her ward, party primaries to pick candidates for the state house of assembly were cancelled three times because of fighting between thugs hired by rival candidates trying to impose themselves. Eventually, the election was rigged.

"The proceedings were very violent. I saw one man get hacked to death with a machete. How was I supposed to stand up and protest when they rigged the election? It is very dangerous."

Participants in the Abuja meeting said women were being marginalised as voters and as candidates.

"There is a lower level of civic awareness among women because of their subordinate role in society. They do not see themselves as having any say in politics," said Habiba Lawal, a director at the federal ministry of women's affairs.

She said the government, the electoral commission and the parties had all failed to educate women about their rights.

Many women also face concrete obstacles such as poor access to voter registration stations, Lawal said. For example, market traders, most of whom are women, are unable to leave their stalls during business hours to go and register.

Participants in the Abuja meeting also said the government had not acted on its stated target of 30 percent of women in elected political posts. As things stand, women are almost unrepresented at every level -- local, state and federal.

Only one of Nigeria's 36 state governors is a woman and she was not elected. She inherited the job when her male boss was impeached over alleged corruption in a bitter power struggle.

As experienced by George-Taylor, political parties are unwilling to present women candidates. In their declaration, participants in the Abuja meeting called for parties to reserve 30 percent of places on their electoral lists for women.