By Julian Osamoto
Stakeholders have identified high nomination fees, rising campaign costs and barriers within political parties as major challenges limiting women’s chances of securing elective positions ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections.
They spoke at a news conference in Abuja organised by Gender Strategy Advancement International, GSAI, and partners, under the theme, “Beyond Participation: Amplifying Women Candidates, Advancing Political Leadership and Building an Inclusive Nigeria for 2027.”
Speaking at the forum, a gender advocate Dr Adaora Sydney-Jack said women often face exclusion before the general election because of difficulties securing party nominations and accessing political financing.
She identified nomination fees, campaign logistics, mobilisation, media visibility and limited funding as key barriers, stressing that women had demonstrated leadership in governance, business, academia and public service but remained underrepresented in elected positions.
Sydney-Jack also supported reserved legislative seats as an additional pathway for women, saying they should complement rather than replace competitive elections.
For the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative, Kemi Okenyodo, party gatekeeping, internal processes and social barriers also affect women seeking nominations, particularly at state level.
She urged stakeholders to scrutinise party structures and nomination processes that determine who gets to contest elective positions.
Speaking for the National Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Chizoba Ogbeche said the media could improve women’s visibility through greater use of print, broadcast and digital platforms.
She also called for stronger voter education and credible elections, saying women who emerge as candidates must be able to participate throughout the electoral process.
Contributing Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, said electoral violence and the influence of money in party nominations could discourage women from contesting.
He urged political parties to strengthen fairness and equal opportunities, while calling on the media to give greater attention to the exclusion of women from political leadership.
Also speaking the Executive Director of the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Center in Africa, PAACA, Ezenwa Nwagwu, urged civil society organisations to focus their advocacy on political parties, which control candidate recruitment, and encouraged women to seek leadership positions at grassroots levels to build political experience as well as visibility.
A voter survey presented by Adewusi Oluwasesan of Invictus Africa found that about 64 per cent of respondents were willing to vote for a woman, while 51.1 per cent said they had never seen a woman on a ballot.
According to him, Nigeria’s female representation in the National Assembly remains low. UN Women says women hold four of the 109 Senate seats and 16 of the 360 House of Representatives seats following the 2023 elections.
The stakeholders called for action by political parties, the media, civil society organisations, electoral institutions and voters to address barriers limiting women’s participation in politics
