Harassed to defeat: Tales of Nigerian women in politics

In November 2022, unknown assailants killed a female political leader in the northwest state of Kaduna. It was the ninth incident of violence against politically exposed women or women affiliated with politicians since the 2019 elections.

Only a few cases of violence against women in politics are reported, most women are shut out by cultural values, religious beliefs, and societal norms among others.

Although much has been done over the years, the world is far off from ending gender-based violence due to many factors, especially issues of gender inequalities and societal or cultural norms as well as traditional practices that encourage such behaviours and enforce a culture of silence among the people.

Perhaps the experience of Miss Akinfiresoye could be synced with the words of a former member of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Gudaji Kazaure, who posited that women will only mess up if given more opportunity in the country’s political set-up.

Our reporter Buna Juliet compiled this audio story below to take us through the challenges of women in the Nigerian political space.