The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged political party leaders to move beyond mere declarations and start implementing concrete steps to boost women’s political participation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the call at the commission’s engagement with political parties on strengthening women’s participation ahead of 2027, in Abuja on Wednesday.

He was represented by INEC National Commissioner, Mr Rodah Gumus.

The event was organised by the commission’s Gender and Inclusive (G&I) Department.

Amupitan noted that although women make up nearly half of Nigeria’s registered voters, their representation in elective office remains disproportionately low.

He noted that the 2023 Register of Voters contained 93,469,008 registered voters, of whom 44,414,846, representing 47.52 per cent were women.

He added that the just concluded Phase III of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) also revealed that 2,037,589, or 52.68 per cent, were women, compared with 1,830,408 men, or 47.32 percent

Amupitan, however, expressed concern over the sharp decline in female representation when transitioning from voters to candidates and elected officials.

“The data from the 2023 General Election is instructive. Of the 15,331 candidates across major elective positions, only 1,556, representing 10.15 per cent, were women,” Amupitan said.

He added that available data also showed that women accounted for only six per cent of governorship candidates, 12.3 per cent for Senate, 11.6 per cent for the House of Representatives, and 10 per cent for State Houses of Assembly in 2023.

“More importantly, the number of women who ultimately secured elections remained very low. In the Senate, only three women were elected in 2023, representing 2.8 per cent of seats filled, and in the House of Representatives, only 16 women were elected, representing 4.4 per cent,” he added.

Amupitan noting that women could not remain at the margins of political leadership said that the 2027 general election presented an opportunity to rewrite the narrative.

He advised party leaders to move from aspiration to implementation, from general statements of support to concrete, measurable interventions.

He said that political parties serve as the principal gatekeepers of political leadership and must take deliberate steps to support female candidates who have secured party tickets.

He listed critical areas requiring party intervention, including providing equitable campaign platforms, media visibility, fundraising networks, security, logistics, and protecting female candidates from intimidation, harassment, and violence.

“Receiving a nomination should not be regarded as the end of the journey. It should be the beginning of a meaningful partnership between the candidate and her political party,” Amupitan said.

He urged political parties and governments to build a continuous pipeline for female leadership by utilising the competence of women who contest elections, whether successful or unsuccessful, in executive appointments, policy processes, and decision-making platforms.

In her remarks, the Secretary to the Commission, Dr Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said that data from the 2023 general elections provided a clear indication that women representation in elective political office remained below the level required for a truly inclusive political system.

Oriaran-Anthony, represented by Director of G&I, Mrs Dorothy Bello, said that the data also revealed the need  to create conducive environment for women to aspire, secure party nominations, contest elections and emerge successfully into positions of leadership.

The secretary noted that achieving that required a collective commitment and sustained action from all stakeholders within the political and electoral ecosystem, especially the political parties.

While expressing INEC continued commitment to promoting inclusive electoral process, she tasked participants on honest and constructive conversations about the barriers limiting women’s participation and the achievable solutions that could be pursued.

“As we look ahead to the 2027 general elections, we have an important opportunity to build on existing progress, address remaining gaps and work together to create greater opportunities for women to participate as voters, aspirants, candidates and leaders,” Oriaran-Anthony said.

In his good will message, the Country Director, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), Mr Adebowale Olorunmola, said Nigeria’s low ranking in gender inclusion in politics remains a major concern, especially as the nation prides itself as the largest economy on the African continent.

“If you look at our reality now, continentally and globally, the figures are disheartening. Nigeria ranks 181 out of 188 countries in terms of women representation in parliament, with women occupying less than four per cent of legislative seats,” he said.

Olorunmola stressed the need to directly engage key party decision-makers whom he termed “non-secretariat leaders” as they hold significant influence over candidate selection and political party nominations.

He also emphasised that electoral reforms and inclusion advocacy must not be limited to the eve of elections, advocating for continuous engagement across the entire electoral cycle.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the foundation to support INEC, civil society, and political parties in fostering a more inclusive, transparent, and sustainable democratic process in Nigeria.

(NAN)