The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) called on political parties to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete, measurable steps to strengthen women’s participation and representation in Nigeria’s political process ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
The call was made during a high-level Engagement with Political Parties on Strengthening Women’s Political Participation Ahead of the 2027 General Elections, organised by the Commission in Abuja.
The engagement brought together leaders of political parties, development partners, women’s organisations, civil society groups and election stakeholders to chart practical strategies for increasing women’s representation in elective offices.
In a welcome address delivered on behalf of the Secretary to the Commission, Dr. Rose Anthony-Orianran, by the Director, Gender and Inclusivity Department, Mrs. Lakunuya Dorothy Bello, participants were reminded that while women continue to participate actively as voters, their representation as candidates and elected officials remains far below expectations.
She noted that only 1,556 out of 15,331 candidates (10.2%) in the 2023 General Election were women, with only three women elected to the Senate and sixteen to the House of Representatives, stressing that achieving meaningful inclusion requires collective action from political parties, electoral stakeholders and development partners. She urged participants to use the engagement to identify practical solutions that would remove barriers to women’s political participation and strengthen collaboration ahead of 2027.
Declaring the engagement open on behalf of the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, National Commissioner Prof. (Mrs.) Rhoda Habor Gumus conveyed the Chairman’s apology for his absence due to another national assignment and reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to promoting inclusive democracy.
She observed that although women accounted for 47.5 per cent of registered voters in the 2023 General Election and constituted the majority of registrants during the final phase of the recently concluded Continuous Voter Registration exercise, this impressive participation has not translated into electoral success.
According to her, women remain grossly underrepresented in elective offices despite their numerical strength within the electorate. She therefore challenged political parties to deliberately provide female candidates with equal access to party structures, campaign funding, media visibility, logistics, mentoring, security, fundraising networks and grassroots mobilisation.
Prof. Gumus stressed that investment in women’s political leadership should not be viewed as a concession but as an investment in the future of Nigeria’s democracy. She further urged political parties to strengthen internal mechanisms that protect women from intimidation, violence and discrimination while creating sustainable pathways for women to emerge as political leaders beyond the 2027 elections.
The engagement also featured goodwill messages from key national and international partners, all of whom reaffirmed their commitment to advancing women’s political participation.
Representing the Director-General of the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development (MBNCWD), Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, Mrs. Ijeoma Duru expressed concern over the declining number of female candidates emerging from party primaries. She urged political parties to provide immediate organisational support to women candidates through dedicated campaign funding, equal media visibility, enhanced security and institutional backing.
She also renewed calls for the passage of the Special/Reserved Seats Bill, describing affirmative action as an essential measure for reversing the decline in women’s representation. She disclosed that the Centre, in collaboration with UN Women, remains committed to supporting female candidates through digital resource centres established across the country.
In a goodwill message delivered on behalf of the UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, Dr. Susan Agada commended INEC for convening the dialogue and emphasised that strengthening women’s political participation is fundamental to democratic governance, sustainable development and peace.
She noted that despite women’s enormous contributions to national development, structural barriers, discriminatory norms, inadequate political financing and electoral violence continue to impede their participation. She called on political parties to adopt gender-responsive policies, ensure transparent nomination processes, create safe political spaces and invest in the development of female aspirants and leaders. UN Women, she assured, would continue supporting Nigeria through advocacy, capacity-building and strategic partnerships.
Also speaking, Mr. Adebowale Olorunloshola of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) lamented Nigeria’s poor global ranking in women’s political representation despite women constituting almost half of the electorate.
He called for greater engagement with political party decision-makers, noting that while many party officials already support women’s inclusion, those with the ultimate authority to determine candidates must also be persuaded to embrace gender-inclusive politics. He stressed that improving women’s representation is critical to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic credentials and pledged WFD’s continued support for inclusive democracy.
Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) is Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle rejected claims that women’s involvement in the 2027 elections had declined, insisting that available data must be properly examined before reaching such conclusions. According to him, some women had received support from political parties, while in other instances, individuals had relied on personal resources and efforts to bring female candidates into the political process.
Earlier, Deputy Director, Gender, Mrs. Hembadoon Akaayar, outlined the objectives of the engagement, which include securing firm commitments from political parties to support female candidates, ensuring equitable access to campaign resources, increasing women’s visibility, strengthening protection against violence and harassment, fostering a more supportive political environment, sustaining support for women beyond the 2027 elections, and strengthening collaboration and accountability among stakeholders.
She expressed optimism that the engagement would produce concrete, measurable commitments capable of translating into greater opportunities for women to participate meaningfully as candidates, leaders and decision-makers in Nigeria’s democracy.
keynote presentation by former Director Voter Education& Publicity and electoral legal expert, Barr. Oluwole Osaze Uzzi, examined global trends in women’s political participation, Nigeria’s constitutional and international obligations on gender equality, and practical pathways for improving women’s representation in governance. Drawing lessons from successful democracies across Africa and beyond, he urged political parties and electoral stakeholders to adopt bold reforms that would create an enabling environment for women to emerge as candidates, leaders and decision-makers.
