By Michael AMAJAMA
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has challenged political parties to move from lip service to concrete action on women’s political participation.
The call was made at a strategic engagement with party leaders, female candidates, civil society organisations, development partners and the media in Abuja, ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
The chairman of the commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, told participants that the question before the commission was “not simply about the participation of women in one electoral cycle,” but one that goes to “the character, inclusiveness and long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s democracy.”
Amupitan, represented by a National Commissioner, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, in Abuja on Wednesday, noted that women remained a formidable presence in Nigeria’s electorate, pointing out that 44,414,846 of the 93,469,008 registered voters in the 2023 General Election, or 47.52 percent, were women, “almost one in every two registered voters in the last General Election.”
The INEC chair disclosed that of the 3,867,997 Nigerians who completed registration in the exercise’s third phase as of July 26, 2026, women accounted for 2,037,589, or 52.68 percent, compared with 1,830,408 men.
“Women therefore accounted for the majority of new registrants in the final phase of the exercise,” she said, stressing that “women are not marginal to Nigeria’s electoral population. They are a substantial part of the electorate.”
He, however, noted that this weight at the polling unit was not reflected in candidacy or elective office. Citing 2023 election data, Prof. Gumus said only 1,556 of 15,331 candidates across major elective positions, representing 10.15 percent, were women, while just three women were elected to the Senate and 16 to the House of Representatives, representing 2.8 percent and 4.4 percent of seats respectively.
“A substantial gap appears to exist between women’s participation as voters and their participation as political leaders,” she said.
She called on political parties to consider what practical support could be extended to female candidates in areas such as “access to party structures and leadership, campaign platforms, media visibility, fundraising networks, mentoring, political communication, logistics, security and grassroots mobilization,” and to examine whether women were being given genuine opportunities to rise through party structures.
“The participation of women is not a favour to women. It is a democratic imperative,” she said, urging parties to move “from commitment to action, from aspiration to implementation.”
In a welcome address by the Secretary to the Commission, Dr. Rose Oriaran-Anthony, read on her behalf by the Director, Gender and Inclusivity Department, Lakunuya Dorothy Bello, INEC said the advancement of women’s political participation “cannot be achieved by the Commission or by any single institution acting in isolation,” but requires “a collective commitment and sustained action from all stakeholders.”
Dr. Oriaran-Anthony noted that political parties, as “the principal vehicles through which citizens organise, seek elective office and participate in democratic governance,” bear direct responsibility for the opportunities available to women, since their “policies, structures, internal processes and practices” shape who ultimately contests and wins elections. She urged participants to approach the engagement “with openness and a spirit of collaboration,” describing it as a platform to move beyond “acknowledgement of the challenges” towards practical, achievable commitments.
The objectives of the engagement, prepared by Mrs. Bello, were presented on her behalf by the Deputy Director, Gender Relations, Mrs. Hembadoon Akaayar, who outlined seven goals guiding the day’s deliberations: securing concrete commitments from political parties to support female candidates; promoting equitable access to campaign resources and opportunities; increasing the visibility of female candidates; strengthening protection against violence, intimidation, harassment and discrimination; promoting a supportive political environment for women; encouraging sustained political support for women beyond 2027; and strengthening collaboration, monitoring and accountability among stakeholders.
“Our expectation is that this engagement will produce practical and measurable commitments from participating political parties rather than general expressions of goodwill,” Mrs. Akaayar said, adding that the Commission was “particularly interested in moving from broad statements of support to commitments that are specific, measurable and capable of being followed up.”
