Monday 18 May 2026 | FCT Abuja
Addressed to Party Chairmen of All Political Parties in Nigeria
Good afternoon Party Chairmen, ladies and gentlemen of the press and thank you for being here. We speak on behalf of Nigerian women and the coalition of civil society organisations in Nigeria. We address you directly today because the decisions you make in the next two weeks will determine whether 2027 breaks from the past or repeats it.
Ahead of the 2027 elections, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu publicly promised greater inclusion of women in governance and political leadership. Speaking on International Women’s Day 2026, he said:
_“Nigeria’s progress will continue to empower women and create conditions where every girl can learn and every woman can thrive economically… When Nigerian women rise, Nigeria rises.”_
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum also made commitments towards increasing women’s representation, particularly at state and legislative levels. At the 2025 NGF meeting, Chairman Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq stated:
“The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has integrated the Nigeria for Women Programme into state-level plans and priorities… All other states are committed to domesticating the policy, ensuring inclusion and empowerment in every one of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.”
Those commitments raised national expectations that this election cycle would be different. However, the primaries conducted so far have revealed a troubling gap between those promises and political reality. Early results emerging from the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary elections indicate a steep decline in female political representation. Minimally holding the line for female aspirants are just six states — Katsina, Edo, Imo, Ogun, Abia and Benue — where a handful of women managed to secure tickets amid high-stakes internal decisions, high-profile disqualifications and forced withdrawals.
3.The primary cycle has been heavily defined by targeted screening decisions and intense internal pressure. In Rivers State, the APC Senatorial Screening Committee sent shockwaves through the political landscape by disqualifying incumbent Rivers West Senator and former Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo. Senator Banigo stands out as one of only four serving female senators in the 10th National Assembly. Also screened but not cleared is Engineer Noimot Oyedele Salako in Ogun State. Reports from multiple state chapters reveal that numerous other female candidates across the federation were actively pressured to step down in favour of consensus arrangements. In Imo State, the APC adopted the highly competitive Option A4 open-ballot voting system. While promoted as transparent, the process triggered major upsets for ranking lawmakers, including the Right Honourable Miriam Onuoha, Chairperson of the House Committee on TETFUND.
As the APC continues to collate and ratify results nationally, other parties including Labour, ADC, PDP, NDC, SDP and AA still have the opportunity to turn their forthcoming primaries into a genuinely inclusive democratic process.
4.For the Labour Party, ADC, SDP, NDC and AA, the primaries are still ahead. SDP is from 19–22 May, ADC from 21–26 May, AA on 26 May, while Labour Party and NDC are from 27–29 May. This is your window to turn commitments into candidacies. Our review of the APC primaries shows clearly that while women contested in significant numbers, the majority were sidelined at the point of candidate selection. We cannot afford a repeat across the remaining parties. The promises made by the President and the Governors’ Forum cannot become symbolic statements without political action behind them.
5. To the remaining political parties, there is still a clear and practical path forward. First, women should be actively considered for consensus arrangements where possible. Second, where no consensus emerges, the political will of parties must back qualified women to the finish line. Let us be clear on what political will means. Political will is not measured by speeches, press statements or conference communiqués. It is measured by who finally appears on the ballot. Political will means using party structures to level the playing field, removing barriers at screening and selection, and refusing to let qualified women be filtered out through informal gatekeeping and political settlements.
6.The evidence is straightforward.
One, women expand the voter base. Women are 49.7% of Nigeria’s population but remain under-mobilised politically. A visible female candidate activates women voters, first-time voters and families who want representation focused on schools, healthcare, food security and community welfare.
Two, women improve party credibility and reduce reputational risk. Parties seen as inclusive score higher on trust and legitimacy, while female candidates are less associated with violence and vote-buying politics.
Three, women deliver measurable governance outcomes. Communities with stronger women’s representation consistently show stronger attention to education, healthcare, water access and grassroots development. Parties that give women a real chance do not weaken themselves politically — they strengthen their electoral advantage.
7.We are not here to attack parties. We are here to hold all political parties to the standards they publicly set for themselves. Parties want credibility heading into 2027. Demonstrating inclusion builds that credibility and wins votes. Therefore, we call on the Party Chairmen of Labour Party, ADC, SDP, NDC and AA to:
One, publish clear criteria for candidate selection before primaries begin.
Two, track and disclose the number of male and female aspirants at every stage.
Three, demonstrate genuine political will by ensuring qualified women emerge on final candidate lists submitted to INEC.
8.The time for course correction is now. The primaries are days away. The promises have already been made by President Tinubu and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. Nigerians are now watching to see whether those promises will become reality. We will continue to track inclusion across the 2027 election cycle and make our findings public. Nigerian voters deserve to know which political parties are turning commitments into candidacies and which parties are allowing women’s political inclusion to remain only a talking point.
Signed
Toun Okewale Sonaiya
Co-Founder
Voice Of Women Foundation
Ebere Ifendu
President Women In Politics Forun
Irene Awunah Ikegh
President League of Women Voters
Adaora Sydney-Jack
ED Gender Strategic Advancement Initiative