Low Female Participation in 2027 Elections at 10.1%

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released a final list of 4,408 candidates for the 2027 general elections, of which only 443 are women, accounting for 10.1% of the total. Female participation is notably low, with 9.6% in the Senate and 10.2% in the House of Representatives.

Among the female candidates are notable figures such as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, former Lagos Deputy Governor Idiat Adebule, and Senator Ireti Kingibe. The breakdown reveals that 115 out of 1,195 Senate candidates are women, while 328 women are among 3,213 House candidates.

Despite an increase from 380 female candidates in the 2023 elections to 443 in 2027, their proportion has declined due to a larger overall candidate pool. States like Jigawa, Nasarawa, Niger, and Yobe have no female senatorial candidates, while Akwa Ibom has the highest with 10.

The low representation is attributed to challenges at the party nomination stage, including costs and competition with established male politicians.