The future of women in Nigerian polls

Unbreakable spirit of Nigerian women working to make their voices heard in the halls of power.

This is a story about the remarkable strides of women who are striving to get into politics in Nigeria and how they navigate various challenges

Women’s political representation is an important and topical issue that requires our full attention. Beyond statistics and regulations, there is a fundamentally human side that we must recognise and accept. It is a narrative about the tenacity, determination, and unbreakable spirit of Nigerian women working to make their voices heard in the halls of power. These remarkable strides of women who are striving to get into politics are not without challenges and struggles that are peculiar to them.

The aftermath of the 2023 elections and the inauguration of new elective members in their respective positions have brought about new discussions within the Nigerian political space. Nigeria experienced a massive increase in the number of registered voters in the 2023 general election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission recorded a total of 93.46 million total voters, of whom 47.5 per cent were women, while the number of women who contested did not make up to 10 per cent of the total number of people who contested in the elections. This also did not translate into the number of women who eventually got elective positions at the end of the elections.

The Nigerian constitution guarantees all people the right to vote and be voted for, which implies that there is equality of Franchise for every citizen regardless of gender. This has not been reflected in the voting and election of female candidates. Following each election cycle, there is a specific emphasis on the number of women elected and represented, particularly in the National Assembly. According to Statista, only 3.3 per cent were elected in 1999, 5.4 per cent were elected in 2003, 7.8 per cent were represented in 2007, 7.1 per cent were represented in 2011 and 2015, and 6.5per cent were represented in 2019. Currently, the tenth assembly has 17 women, a reduction from the 21 women that were in the previous assembly, which amounts to less than 5 per cent of the national assembly.

Prior to the 2023 elections, the Inter-Parliamentary Union assisted the Nigerian National Assembly in identifying and considering the best ways to promote more equal and inclusive representation of women in parliament, including the adoption of a 30 per cent quota on electoral lists, electoral reform measures, and civic orientation programmes identified as priority actions. Despite this help, the representation of women still declines.

This is not only evident in the National Assembly. In sub-national or state assemblies, there is also a decline in the number of women represented. It was also discovered that some states do not in any way possess any women’s representation in their assemblies. Dataphyte reports that 1019 women contested across 24 states in their state assembly elections, and only 48 women were able to get into seats and positions of power, which implies that the representation of women in politics is at an all-time low and something has to be done about it.

Many of the women who ran in the 2023 elections have faced a variety of difficulties. Joyce Daniels, who contested under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for her local council elections in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, explained that one of the challenges that she faced during the elections was that she always needed to have some male presence around her to validate her essentiality and seriousness in the contests. She explained that it seemed to encourage acceptance.

A major challenge among women who contest is the issue of patriarchy. Nigerian society is hinged on cultural practises that belittle women, especially those contesting for leadership positions. Although Joyce Daniels explained that she faced other challenges that ranged from access to information to funding, logistics, and security, they were not exactly specific to her. Her major gendered challenge was the need for a male presence to prove her worth to contest for the elective position she was running for. Many societies in Nigeria believe that women can only be validated when there is a male figure around them, which could be a manager, a brother, or even their husband. It will prove that a woman can listen and respond to authorities.

Many political parties are male-dominated, and as a result of this, little importance is placed on women who contest under these parties. These challenges continue to persist despite the increasing number of women who are now more politically motivated and interested in buying political party forms. According to Joyce, she explains that if  or when more women emerge and run for office, based on mathematical probability, the chances of women being voted in will increase. She personally wants to inspire more women to run and run again if they are unsuccessful the first time.

Women should not shy away from the challenges that are posed by contesting, even after losing at any time. She explains that resilience over time will increase the trust of the electorate, as many already think women in politics are not resilient enough. She believes that only women can truly change the narrative.

She posed other solutions to encourage women’s representation in politics. She explained that “other solutions are continued voter enlightenment and engagement, not only during election season but always. The more women are seen as active in political party activities, not as handclappers but as loud and intelligent voices, the more our chances of being voted in will increase.”

“The more women are seen as active in political party activities, not as handclappers but as loud and intelligent voices, the more our chances of being voted in will increase.”

According to Emitomo Nimisire, a women’s rights activist, a major challenge to women’s representation during the 2023 elections is political apathy among women. Many women are not interested in politics because it is largely seen as a men’s game, thus not paying attention to the women that are contesting. She further explains that Gender-Based Violence is very prevalent for women contesting, although over the past few years, the records of GBV among women contesting have dropped. She posited that most political parties also have only men as their heads, and this has been a detriment to pushing women into politics within those political parties.

Going forward, to encourage women’s representation, there is a need to go beyond focusing on the female contestants but on the electorates – the people intending to vote women in. There is a need for a more politically educated electorate to understand the reasons and see why there is a need to vote for women and to support more women in active politics. There is also a need for the media to position women more on television, radio, newspapers, and even social media and other forms of online media. Women will not be represented if they are not given the same attention as men or even more.

An organisation, ELECTHER, launched an election report on the security of women during the elections. It provides a structure for the challenge posed by Gender based Violence during the elections and how it can be curbed and worked on. This is a very good step in supporting women’s representation in politics in Nigeria.

In addition to this, Emitomo explained that Civic Society organisations need to find more sustainable solutions to the challenges, they should also be involved in lobbying, organising, and advocating policies that include women in politics. She also explains that there is a need for CSOs to put in place mechanisms for addressing Gender based violence, especially within the political sphere, and to ensure that there is a legal framework that speaks to this type of  violence. She believes that CSOs are also cushioned with the role of addressing misconceptions about women in politics, addressing the gap in education between women and men, and incorporating the education of girls in leadership and politics.

Civic society organisations (CSOs) need to rise to the occasion of educating the populace on voting and the need for the representation of women in Nigeria. CSOs can run voter education campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of women’s representation, as well as voters’ rights and obligations. These attempts can educate people on the political process, voting processes, and the importance of voting for female candidates. To educate the electorate, They can also organise seminars and community meetings and distribute voter education materials.

Furthermore, CSOs may make information about female candidates’ histories, accomplishments, and policy opinions widely available. This may be accomplished by creating voter guides, internet platforms, and information campaigns. CSOs assist voters in making educated decisions and overcoming any biases or disinformation by making information freely available.

Finally, there is a need for organisations to work with political parties to increase the participation of women in candidate selection procedures. They can campaign for gender quotas, internal party reforms, and measures that encourage women to participate in politics. CSOs can influence party platforms and policies by collaborating closely with political parties, improving the chances of female candidates gaining party nominations.

This story is part of the African Women in Media (AWiM)/Luminate Young Women in Politics Media Project