A coalition of Nigerian women and civil society organizations has called on political parties across the country to ensure greater inclusion of women in the ongoing preparations for the 2027 general elections, warning that the credibility of political leaders’ democratic commitments is now being tested.
The coalition made the call in a statement issued on 18 May 2026, in Abuja, while reacting to the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries for legislative candidates at a press conference tagged “Broken Promises. Missing Women: Audit of the Primaries so far/”
Addressing journalists, the group said the decisions political parties take in the coming weeks would determine whether Nigeria breaks away from its history of poor female political representation or repeats the same pattern.
The coalition recalled President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s pledge during the 2026 International Women’s Day celebration to promote women’s inclusion in governance and leadership.
According to the statement, the President had declared that Nigeria’s progress would continue to empower women and create opportunities for girls and women to thrive educationally and economically.
The group also referenced commitments made by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), particularly its promise to integrate gender inclusion policies into governance structures at state and local government levels.
However, the coalition expressed concern that the APC primaries conducted so far reflected a significant gap between public promises and political reality.
It noted that preliminary outcomes from the House of Representatives primaries showed a decline in female representation, with only a few women securing party tickets in states such as Katsina, Edo, Imo, Ogun, Abia, and Benue.
According to the coalition, several female aspirants were either disqualified during screening processes or pressured to withdraw in favour of consensus candidates.
The statement cited the disqualification of Rivers West Senator and former Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo, by the APC Senatorial Screening Committee in Rivers State, describing the development as a major setback for women’s representation.
It also mentioned Engineer Noimot Oyedele Salako in Ogun State among those reportedly screened but not cleared.
The coalition further observed that in Imo State, the adoption of the Option A4 open-ballot voting system led to major political upsets, including the defeat of ranking lawmakers such as the Chairperson of the House Committee on TETFUND, Rt. Hon. Miriam Onuoha.
While expressing disappointment over the APC process, the coalition said other political parties still had the opportunity to make their forthcoming primaries more inclusive.
It listed parties yet to conduct primaries to include the Labour Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), Social Democratic Party (SDP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Action Alliance (AA).
The coalition urged the parties to translate their commitments into concrete action by supporting qualified women aspirants through transparent and fair selection processes.
It stressed that political will should not be measured by speeches or communiqués but by the number of women who eventually emerge as candidates on party tickets.
The group argued that greater female participation would expand voter mobilization, improve party credibility, and enhance governance outcomes, particularly in sectors such as education, healthcare, food security, and grassroots development.
According to the coalition, women constitute nearly half of Nigeria’s population but remain underrepresented in political leadership despite their numerical strength.
It added that female candidates are generally perceived as less associated with political violence and vote-buying, thereby improving the integrity and public image of political parties.
The coalition, therefore, called on party leaderships to publish clear criteria for candidate selection, disclose gender statistics at every stage of the primaries, and ensure that qualified women are included in the final candidate lists submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It warned that Nigerians are closely monitoring the actions of political parties ahead of the 2027 elections and would judge them based on whether their promises on inclusion are reflected in actual candidacies.
The coalition pledged to continue tracking women’s participation throughout the election cycle and to make its findings public.
