Recent data provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has once again confirmed the exclusionary nature of Nigeria’s political system when it comes to women. According to the commission, women made up only 13 per cent of candidates that vied for different positions in the 2019 Nigerian general elections.
This information was contained in a 125-paged INEC report entitled “Review of the 2019 General Elections: Report of the Commission’s Retreats and Stakeholder Engagements,” presented by the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, in Abuja.
Breakdown of Nigerian Numbers
Analysing the hotly contested polls of 2019 that saw President Muhammadu Buhari secure a second term in office, the body revealed that only 13 per cent (3,163) in a total of 24,353 candidates were women, leaving the balance of 87 per cent (21,190) for men. A further breakdown of the data showed the least representation for women was in the governorship elections, where they constituted just 7.5 per cent of 1,066 candidates, but a high number of 80 candidates.
While the governorship elections recorded a low percentage for Nigerian women, it was the presidential elections that notoriously had a majority of its female candidates drop out in the last minute, which saw the poorest performance for women. The report showed that among 73 presidential candidates, only six were female. The highest numbers were gotten from the State Houses of Assembly, where among 14,580 candidates, women were 1,872 albeit a low overall percentage of 12.8.
Other contested seats included Vice President, where women were 30.1 percent of 73 candidates; deputy governorship, 28.5 percent; House of Representatives, 11.6 percent of 4,680; and Senatorial, 12.3 percent of 1,904.
Similar Situation In Government Appointments
Despite campaigning as a strong advocate for women’s participation in politics and a more inclusive table of power, only 7 (3.08 percent) of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministers are women.
INEC Makes A Suggestion
To level the playing ground in Nigerian elections, INEC recommendations were geared towards “deepening internal party democracy” and “the management of the parties,” which could further help more women contest and win slots. Among these recommendations is the “Amendment of the Electoral Act to address gaps in the provisions for campaign financing to strengthen mechanisms for campaign finance monitoring and compliance,” as well as the “Immediate publication of the report on 2019 general election campaign finance monitoring and engagement with IPAC, party leaders and relevant stakeholders to promote inclusivity and popular participation especially for women, youth and people with disabilities.”
This story is part of our new series on Nigeria where we analyse electoral and political reform in the country ahead of the next general elections in 2023.
