Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
A coalition of women-led groups have declared that Nigeria could see its lowest female representation in the Senate since the return to democracy, with women projected to hold only 2.7% of seats after the 2027 general elections.
The warning came during a press conference in Abuja yesterday where civil society organizations presented findings from an audit of the 2026 party primaries across 22 political parties.
The coalition is calling for immediate policy and legislative action, while emphasizing that the Special Seats Bill is “the most practical pathway to close the gap with a progress that requires legal reform and not just training or advocacy.
Invictus Africa Executive Director, Bukky Shonibare said the audit revealed persistent barriers including forced withdrawals, opaque consensus arrangements and last-minute candidate substitutions.
She revealed that female participation remained critically low with only three parties that recorded female aspirant rates above 20% namely “PDP with 28.2%, YPP 22.2% and YP 20%. The lowest rates were NRM at 11.8%, APC 10.4% and NNPP at 0.0%.
“Only three women won Senate primaries across all parties. “At this rate, women may occupy just 2.7% of Senate seats after the 2027 elections,” Shonibare said as against 3.6% of women in the 2023 of Senate seats.
Toun Okewale Sonaiya of the Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation described the primaries as “gatekeeping institutionalised.” She warned that without intervention, “2027 will deliver worse representation for women than 2023.”
Cynthia Mbamalu of Yiaga Africa urged INEC to publish a comprehensive, gender-disaggregated audit reports to strengthen accountability.
The coalition issued a seven-point charter addressed to state governors, party chairmen, INEC, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Key demands include: “Publish data on women who bought forms, were pressured to withdraw, or lost tickets to consensus. End consensus as a tool to sideline women. Adopt female deputy governors for all male gubernatorial candidates.
“Strengthen oversight to ensure constitutional fairness and non-discrimination. Influence passage of the Special Seats Bill, which the coalition called “a temporary democratic correction, not charity.”
The coalition pledged to continue monitoring the 2027 electoral process, documenting exclusion and holding political actors accountable. “Women’s inclusion is not charity but a democratic imperative,” the statement concluded.
Signatories include Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation, Women in Politics Forum, EneObi Centre for Development, and Gender Strategy Advancement International.
