By Oluwagbemiga Toye
A coalition of women-focused civil society organisations has called on political parties in Nigeria to ensure greater inclusion of women in the ongoing 2027 election primaries, warning that recent outcomes from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries reflect a widening gap between public promises and political reality.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday titled, “Broken Promises, Missing Women: Audit of the Primaries So Far,” the coalition said decisions taken by political parties in the coming weeks would determine whether Nigeria’s democracy becomes more inclusive or continues the pattern of marginalising women from elective positions.
In a statement signed by Toun Okewale Sonaiya, Ebere Ifendu, Irene Awunah Ikegh and Adaora Sydney-JackThe coalition urged other political parties yet to conduct their primaries — including the Labour Party, African Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, National Democratic Coalition and Action Alliance — to use the opportunity to promote genuine inclusion.The coalition stressed that political will should not be measured by speeches or communiqués, but by the number of women who eventually emerge as candidates and appear on the ballot. It argued that increasing women’s participation would strengthen voter mobilisation, improve party credibility and enhance governance outcomes, particularly in areas such as healthcare, education, water access and grassroots development.
The groups further called on party chairmen to publish clear criteria for candidate selection, disclose gender representation statistics at every stage of the primaries and ensure qualified women emerge on final candidate lists submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The coalition recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during the 2026 International Women’s Day celebration, pledged stronger inclusion of women in governance and leadership, declaring that “when Nigerian women rise, Nigeria rises.” It also referenced commitments made by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum towards increasing women’s political representation at state and legislative levels.
According to the statement, early results from the APC House of Representatives primary elections indicate a sharp decline in female political representation, with only a few women securing tickets in states such as Katsina, Edo, Imo, Ogun, Abia and Benue.
The groups alleged that the primary process had been characterised by targeted screening decisions, political pressure and forced withdrawals involving female aspirants. They cited the disqualification of Senator Ipalibo Banigo, representing Rivers West Senatorial District and one of only four serving female senators in the 10th National Assembly, by the APC Senatorial Screening Committee in Rivers State.
The coalition also mentioned Engineer Noimot Oyedele Salako, who was screened but not cleared in Ogun State, while noting that reports from several states suggested female aspirants were pressured to step down in favour of consensus candidates.
In Imo State, the coalition said the APC’s adoption of the Option A4 open-ballot voting system resulted in unexpected losses for some ranking lawmakers, including Miriam Onuoha, Chairperson of the House Committee on TETFUND.
