A coalition of women-led movements and civil society organisations have called for urgent action to reverse the decline in women’s political representation following 2026 party primaries across 22 political parties.
Penpushing reports that body made the demand at a national press conference and roundtable dialogue convened to assess exclusionary practices and push for policy, institutional and legislative reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
‘An audit of primaries across all 22 parties revealed persistent barriers including forced withdrawals, opaque “consensus” arrangements and last-minute candidate substitutions’, the movement said.
Penpushing further reports that, Bukky Shonibare, Executive Director of Invictus Africa, presenting the findings said female aspirant participation remains critically low with only 3 of the 22 parties recorded female participation above 20%.
The Director pointed out that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had 28.2% female aspirants, YPP 22.2% and YP 20%, adding that the bottom three includes NRM 11.8%, APC 10.4% and NNPPP 0.0%.
Penpushing also reports that the coalition of women-led movements and civil society organisations stated that only 3 women won the primaries for Senate, and however, warned, that women may occupy just 2.7% of Senate seats after the 2027 elections.
The Co-founder and Executive Director of Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation Toun Okewale Sonaiya, speaking for the coalition described the primaries process as gatekeeping institutionalised arguing that if unchecked, 2027 will deliver worse representation for women than 2023
Penpushing reports that Okewale -Sonaiya urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to influence the passage of the bill and demanded that for every male gubernatorial candidate, all political parties nominate female deputy governorship candidates to increase women’s representation in 2027.
The other contributors include Austin Aigbe who called The Special Seats Bill the most practical pathway to close the gap, stressing that progress requires legal reform, not just training or advocacy.
Penpushing further reports that he urged parties to use the substitution window to correct gender imbalances, while Cynthia Mbamalu of Yiaga Africa called on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish comprehensive, gender-disaggregated audit reports to expose exclusion and strengthen accountability.
The Adaora Sydney Jack of Gender Strategy Advancement International said exclusion of women as shown in the primaries across political parties is a structural, institutional and political challenge.
“If countries with fewer economic resources can achieve significantly greater levels of inclusion, then Nigeria’s challenge cannot be explained by capacity. It cannot be explained by talent or a lack of qualified women but structuraland political”.
Penpushing also reports that Ebere Ifendu, National President of Women In Politics Forum, urged parties to uphold their constitutions and ensure accountability for violence, intimidation and discrimination against women aspirants.
The Director of EneObi Centre for Development, Ene Obi demanded stronger investment in women’s agency and implementation of existing affirmative action commitments and judicial rulings.
Penpushing reports that Abosede George Ogan of WILAN challenged stakeholders to build women’s political, economic, institutional and narrative power through technology, leadership development, sustainable funding and grassroots mobilisation.
The signatories’ organisations include; Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation (VOW EF), Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), EneObi Centre for Development (ECD), Gender Strategy Advancement International (GSAI)
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