A coalition of women-led civil society organisations has called for greater inclusion of female aspirants ahead of the 2027 general elections, amid growing concerns over the declining representation of women in ongoing political party primaries.
Addressing journalists at a news conference themed “Broken Promises, Missing Women: Audit of the Primaries So Far” in Abuja, the groups said early outcomes from party primaries, particularly within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), reflect a widening gap between public commitments to women’s inclusion and the realities of candidate selection processes.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Toun Okewale of the Voices of Women Empowerment Foundation said the coming weeks would determine whether Nigeria’s political system was truly prepared to advance women’s participation.
Citing earlier commitments by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, she noted they had raised expectations that the 2027 electoral cycle would provide broader opportunities for women in politics.
She recalled that Tinubu, during the 2026 International Women’s Day celebration, pledged to create conditions where women and girls could thrive, while Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, also spoke about integrating women-focused programmes into governance priorities across states.
“Those commitments raised national expectations that this election cycle would be different. However, the primaries conducted so far have revealed a troubling gap between those promises and political reality,” she said.
Okewale noted that although women participated actively in the primaries, only a few states, including Katsina State, Edo State, Imo State, Ogun State, Abia State and Benue State, recorded successful female aspirants.
She pointed out that upcoming primaries in other political parties present yet another opportunity to improve inclusion and strengthen women’s representation.
“We cannot afford a repeat across the remaining parties. The promises made by the President and the Governors’ Forum cannot become symbolic statements without political action behind them,” she stated.
The President of the Women in Politics Forum, Ebere Ifendu, said screening decisions and internal party arrangements in some states had negatively impacted female aspirants.
She cited the disqualification of Ipalibo Banigo, Senator representing Rivers West and former Deputy Governor of Rivers State, during the APC senatorial screening exercise in Rivers State, noting that Banigo remains one of the few women currently serving in the Senate.
She also stated that Engineer Noimot Oyedele Salako was among aspirants who were screened but did not advance, while reports from several states indicated that some women stepped down during consensus negotiations.
According to her, political parties such as the Labour Party, the African Democratic Congress, the Social Democratic Party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress and the Action Alliance still have upcoming primaries and could improve the level of women’s representation on their candidate lists.
“This is your window to turn commitments into candidacies,” she said.
Also speaking, Irene Awunna of the League of Women Voters of Nigeria said increasing women’s participation in politics could broaden voter engagement and strengthen public confidence in political parties.
According to her, women make up a significant percentage of Nigeria’s population and are more likely to become politically active when they see greater representation in the electoral process.
“A visible female candidate activates women voters, first-time voters and families who want representation focused on schools, healthcare, food security and community welfare,” she said.
Awunna further argued that parties perceived as inclusive often enjoy greater credibility and public trust, adding that communities with stronger female representation tend to pay closer attention to education, healthcare and grassroots development.
The coalition urged political party leaders to ensure that forthcoming primaries produce more female candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
It further called on political parties preparing for primaries to publish transparent criteria for candidate selection, disclose the number of male and female aspirants at different stages of the process, and ensure qualified women are fairly represented on final candidate lists submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The groups also stated that they would continue monitoring the level of inclusion throughout the 2027 election cycle and make their findings available to the public.
