A group of women-led civil society organisations has called for urgent electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections following findings from a post-primary audit that highlighted significant gender disparities in candidate selection processes.
The organisations, including the Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation (VOWEF), Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), EneObi Centre for Development (ECD), and Gender Strategy Advancement International (GSAI), made their position known in a joint statement issued in Abuja.
They expressed concern over what they described as widespread exclusionary practices across party primaries in 22 political parties, urging policy, institutional and legislative changes to address the imbalance.
Executive Director of Invictus Africa, Bukky Shonibare, said the audit uncovered persistent structural challenges limiting women’s participation, such as forced withdrawals, non-transparent consensus arrangements and last-minute replacement of candidates.
According to her, only three political parties recorded female aspirant participation above 20 per cent: the Peoples Democratic Party (28.2 per cent), the Young Progressives Party (22.2 per cent) and the Youth Party (20 per cent).
She added that other parties recorded much lower figures, including the National Rescue Movement (11.8 per cent), the All Progressives Congress (10.4 per cent) and the NNPPP, which recorded no female participation.
Shonibare further warned that only three women emerged as senatorial candidates across the 22 parties, projecting that women could occupy just 2.7 per cent of Senate seats if the trend continues.
Co-founder and Executive Director of VOWEF, Toun Sonaiya, described the primary process as deeply exclusionary, arguing that internal gatekeeping has become entrenched within political party structures.
She cautioned that without immediate reforms, women’s representation in the 2027 elections could decline further compared to 2023, calling for urgent corrective measures.
Gender equity advocate, Austin Aigbe, described the Special Seats Bill as a practical legislative solution to address the imbalance, stressing that legal reforms were necessary alongside advocacy.
Yiaga Africa’s Cynthia Mbamalu urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish detailed gender-disaggregated data on party primaries and candidate selection processes to improve transparency and accountability.
Adaora Sydney-Jack of GSAI said the persistent exclusion of women was structural and political, rejecting claims that it stems from a lack of qualified female candidates.
National President of WIPF, Ebere Ifendu, called on political parties to enforce internal democratic rules and hold perpetrators of intimidation and discrimination against female aspirants accountable.
Ene Obi of ECD urged stronger investment in women’s political empowerment and full implementation of existing affirmative action policies and court rulings.
Abosede George-Ogan of Women’s Initiatives for Leadership Advancement (WILAN) advocated sustained efforts to strengthen women’s political, economic, institutional and narrative influence through funding support, leadership development and grassroots mobilisation.
The coalition urged President Bola Tinubu to support the passage of the Special Seats Bill, describing it as a corrective democratic measure rather than a concession.
They also proposed that political parties field female deputy governorship candidates alongside male governorship candidates in the 2027 elections to improve inclusion.
In a seven-point demand, the group called on political parties, INEC and the Federal Government to publish gender-disaggregated data, eliminate backdoor exclusions, enforce internal party democracy, and adopt inclusive candidate selection policies.
They reaffirmed their commitment to monitoring the electoral process ahead of 2027, documenting exclusionary practices and holding political actors accountable for promoting gender equity in politics.