Beyond Promises: Why Women Are Still Being Excluded from Nigeria’s 2027 Party Primaries
A coalition of civil society organizations (CSOs) has raised urgent concerns over the systematic exclusion of women from Nigeria’s political party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections. At a press conference in Abuja on Monday, women’s rights advocates warned that early outcomes from the primaries reveal a troubling gap between political rhetoric and actual representation—a gap that threatens to undermine decades of advocacy for gender parity in Nigerian politics.
The Core Issue: Broken Commitments to Women’s Inclusion
The coalition, representing a broad spectrum of gender-focused CSOs, accused Nigeria’s major political parties of failing to honor their public commitments to women’s inclusion. These commitments were not empty gestures; they followed high-level assurances from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, both of whom had pledged to improve women’s participation in the 2027 election cycle. Expectations were high that this would be a turning point—a moment when Nigeria would move closer to the 35% affirmative action benchmark recommended by the National Gender Policy.
However, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Toun Okewale Sonaiya, speaking on behalf of the coalition, underscored the stakes: “Political will is measured by who appears on the ballot. If women are not on the ballot, then all the promises, all the handshakes, and all the photo ops mean nothing.” Her statement highlights a fundamental truth: inclusion is not about speeches or policy documents; it is about tangible outcomes in candidate selection.
Early Primaries Reveal a Pattern of Exclusion
Early results from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries—the first major party to hold its internal elections—paint a stark picture. While a handful of states, including Katsina, Edo, Imo, Ogun, Abia, and Benue, have produced successful female candidates, the overwhelming majority of states have seen women excluded through a combination of opaque screening processes, arbitrary disqualifications, and intense internal party pressure to step down.
This pattern is not accidental. It reflects deep-seated structural barriers within Nigeria’s political system, including:
- Financial hurdles: Women often lack access to the same financial resources as male aspirants, making it difficult to pay high nomination fees or fund effective campaigns.
- Patronage networks: Party primaries are frequently controlled by male-dominated power blocs that prioritize loyalty over merit or diversity.
- Cultural biases: Many party delegates still hold traditional views that question women’s fitness for leadership roles, particularly in high-stakes elections.
- Lack of enforcement: Despite constitutional guarantees and party policies on gender inclusion, there are no meaningful penalties for non-compliance.
Voices from the Frontline: Disqualification and Pressure
Other coalition members, including Ebere Ifendu and Irene Awunah Ikyegh, provided specific examples of the challenges female aspirants face. They cited cases where qualified women were disqualified on technicalities—such as missing a single document or failing to meet arbitrary criteria—while male aspirants with similar issues were allowed to proceed. In other instances, women were pressured to step down in favor of male candidates, often with promises of future support that never materialized.
“These are not isolated incidents,” Ifendu said. “They are part of a coordinated effort to keep women out of the political process. If we do not act now, inclusion will remain only a talking point—a slogan used at international conferences but ignored in practice.”
Ikyegh added that the psychological toll on female aspirants is immense. “Many women invest their life savings, their time, and their reputations into these campaigns, only to be told at the last minute that they are not welcome. This is not just a political failure; it is a human one.”
What Must Change: A Call for Transparency and Accountability
The coalition is now urging political parties that have yet to conduct their primaries—including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and others—to take immediate steps to ensure transparency and genuine support for qualified women. Their demands include:
- Public disclosure of screening criteria: Parties must publish clear, objective standards for candidate selection and apply them equally to all aspirants.
- Independent oversight: Primaries should be monitored by neutral observers, including CSOs and the media, to prevent manipulation.
- Financial support mechanisms: Parties should reduce nomination fees for women or provide matching funds to level the playing field.
- Zero tolerance for pressure tactics: Any party official found pressuring women to step down should face disciplinary action.
Without these measures, the coalition warns, the 2027 elections will simply repeat the patterns of 2023, when women won only a fraction of elective positions despite making up nearly half of the electorate. The stakes could not be higher: Nigeria ranks among the lowest in the world for women’s political representation, and every election cycle that fails to address this gap pushes the country further behind its peers.
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Conclusion: The Ballot as a Measure of Progress
As Toun Okewale Sonaiya aptly noted, “Political will is measured by who appears on the ballot.” The early results from the APC primaries suggest that, for now, that will is lacking. But the story is not yet written. With several parties still to hold their primaries, there is still time for a course correction—if the political will can be summoned.
The coalition’s message is clear: promises are not enough. The only way to honor commitments to women’s inclusion is to ensure that women are on the ballot, not just in a few states, but across the entire country. Anything less is a betrayal of the democratic principles Nigeria claims to uphold.
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