A coalition of women-led civil society organisations in Nigeria is demanding urgent electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 elections, following a post-primary audit that exposed a severe gender gap.
They made the demand in a statement signed by the Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation, Women in Politics Forum, EneObi Centre for Development, and Gender Strategy Advancement International on Sunday in Abuja.
They noted the exclusionary practices in party primaries across 22 political parties and pushed for policy, institutional and legislative interventions aimed at reversing the trend.
Bukky Shonibare, the executive director of Invictus Africa, said the review exposed persistent structural barriers against women, including forced withdrawals, opaque “consensus” arrangements and last-minute candidate substitutions.
Ms Shonibare said only three of the 22 political parties recorded female aspirant participation above 20 per cent, with the Peoples Democratic Party recording 28.2 per cent, the Young Progressives Party 22.2 per cent, and the Youth Party 20 per cent.
She added that other parties recorded significantly lower figures, including the National Rescue Movement at 11.8 per cent, the All Progressives Congress at 10.4 per cent, and the NNPPP at 0.0 per cent.
According to her, only three women emerged as senatorial candidates across all 22 parties, warning that at the current trajectory, women may occupy just 2.7 per cent of seats in the Senate after the 2027 elections.
Toun Sonaiya, co-founder and executive director of VOWEF, described the primaries as a system of entrenched exclusion, warning that “gatekeeping has become institutionalised” within political party structures.
She cautioned that without urgent intervention, the 2027 elections would worsen women’s political representation relative to 2023, and urged immediate corrective measures across political institutions.
Austin Aigbe, a gender equity advocate, described the Special Seats Bill as the most viable legal pathway to addressing the imbalance, stressing that meaningful progress required legal reform rather than advocacy alone.
Cynthia Mbamalu of Yiaga Africa urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to publish comprehensive gender-disaggregated reports on party primaries and candidate selection processes to improve transparency and accountability.
Adaora Sydney-Jack of GSAI said the exclusion of women remained structural and political in nature, noting that Nigeria’s challenge could not be explained by a lack of capacity or qualified women.
Ebere Ifendu, national president of WIPF,  called on political parties to enforce internal democratic rules and ensure accountability for violence, intimidation and discrimination against female aspirants.
Ene Obi of the ECD urged stronger investment in women’s political empowerment and full implementation of existing affirmative action commitments and judicial rulings.
Abosede George Ogan of Women’s Initiatives for Leadership Advancement called for sustained efforts to strengthen women’s political, economic, institutional and narrative power through technology, leadership development, funding support and grassroots mobilisation.
The coalition, therefore, called on President Bola Tinubu to support the passage of the Special Seats Bill, describing it as a necessary democratic correction rather than a form of charity.
They also demanded that political parties adopt a policy requiring female deputy governorship candidates alongside male governorship candidates in the 2027 elections to improve inclusion.
The group also issued a seven-point charter of demands to political parties, INEC and the federal government, including the publication of gender-disaggregated data, the elimination of backdoor exclusions, the enforcement of internal party democracy, and the adoption of female deputy governorship candidates.
It further urged INEC to strengthen oversight mechanisms and called on the President to influence the passage of the Special Seats Bill as a temporary corrective measure to address systemic imbalance.
The coalition, while reaffirming that women’s political inclusion remains a democratic imperative, pledged to continue monitoring the 2027 electoral process, documenting exclusionary practices and holding political actors accountable. 

(NAN)