ABUJA, Nigeria (Agency Report) — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged political party leaders to move beyond declarations of support for women and implement concrete measures to increase their participation in politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the call at the commission’s engagement with political parties on strengthening women’s participation in politics ahead of the 2027 elections in Abuja on Wednesday.
Amupitan, who was represented by INEC National Commissioner, Mr Rodah Gumus, said women constituted nearly half of Nigeria’s registered voters, but remained disproportionately underrepresented in elective positions.
The engagement was organised by the commission’s Gender and Inclusive (G&I) Department.
Amupitan said the 2023 Register of Voters contained 93,469,008 registered voters, comprising 44,414,846 women, representing 47.52 per cent of the total.
He added that the just-concluded Phase III of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) recorded 2,037,589 women, representing 52.68 per cent, compared with 1,830,408 men, or 47.32 per cent.
He, however, expressed concern over the sharp decline in female representation as women moved from being voters to candidates and, ultimately, elected officials.
“The data from the 2023 General Election is instructive. Of the 15,331 candidates across major elective positions, only 1,556, representing 10.15 per cent, were women,” Amupitan said.
He said available data showed that women accounted for only six per cent of governorship candidates, 12.3 per cent of Senate candidates, 11.6 per cent of House of Representatives candidates and 10 per cent of State Houses of Assembly candidates in the 2023 elections.
“More importantly, the number of women who ultimately secured elections remained very low. In the Senate, only three women were elected in 2023, representing 2.8 per cent of seats filled, and in the House of Representatives, only 16 women were elected, representing 4.4 per cent,” he added.
Amupitan said women could no longer remain at the margins of political leadership, stressing that the 2027 general election presented an opportunity to change the narrative.
He urged political parties to move from aspiration to implementation and from general statements of support to concrete and measurable interventions.
According to him, political parties are the principal gatekeepers of political leadership and must take deliberate steps to support female candidates who secure party tickets.
He identified equitable campaign platforms, media visibility, fundraising networks, security and logistics as critical areas requiring party intervention.
He also urged parties to protect female candidates from intimidation, harassment and political violence.
“Receiving a nomination should not be regarded as the end of the journey. It should be the beginning of a meaningful partnership between the candidate and her political party,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chairman further urged political parties and governments to build a continuous pipeline for female leadership by utilising the competence of women who contest elections, regardless of whether they emerge successful or unsuccessful.
He said such women could be engaged through executive appointments, policy processes and other decision-making platforms.
In her remarks, the Secretary to the Commission, Dr Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said data from the 2023 general elections clearly showed that women’s representation in elective political office remained below the level required for a truly inclusive political system.
Oriaran-Anthony, who was represented by the Director of G&I, Mrs Dorothy Bello, said the figures underscored the need to create a conducive environment for women to aspire, secure party nominations, contest elections and emerge successfully into positions of leadership.
She said achieving greater inclusion required collective commitment and sustained action from stakeholders across the political and electoral ecosystem, particularly political parties.
While reaffirming INEC’s commitment to promoting an inclusive electoral process, Oriaran-Anthony urged participants to engage in honest and constructive discussions on the barriers limiting women’s participation and the practical solutions that could be pursued.
“As we look ahead to the 2027 general elections, we have an important opportunity to build on existing progress, address remaining gaps and work together to create greater opportunities for women to participate as voters, aspirants, candidates and leaders,” she said.
In his goodwill message, the Country Director of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), Mr Adebowale Olorunmola, said Nigeria’s low level of gender inclusion in politics remained a major concern, particularly given the country’s position as Africa’s largest economy.
“If you look at our reality now, continentally and globally, the figures are disheartening. Nigeria ranks 181 out of 188 countries in terms of women representation in parliament, with women occupying less than four per cent of legislative seats,” he said.
Olorunmola stressed the need to engage key party decision-makers, whom he described as “non-secretariat leaders”, because of their significant influence over candidate selection and party nominations.
He also said electoral reforms and advocacy for inclusion should not be limited to periods immediately preceding elections, calling instead for continuous engagement throughout the electoral cycle.
Olorunmola reaffirmed WFD’s commitment to supporting INEC, civil society organisations and political parties in promoting a more inclusive, transparent and sustainable democratic process in Nigeria.
(NAN)
