GSAI Reports Low Female Representation in 2027 Elections

Ahead of the 2027 general election, only 10.1% of National Assembly candidates are women, as revealed by Dr. Adaora Sidney-Jack, Executive Director of Gender Strategy Advancement International (GSAI), during a media convening at Bolingo Hotel, Abuja. Out of 4,408 candidates, only 443 are women, with 115 women among 1,109 Senate candidates (9.6%) and 328 women among 3,600 House of Representatives candidates (10.2%).

Although this marks an improvement from 380 women in 2023, progress remains slow. Dr. Sidney-Jack noted that states like Jigawa, Nasarawa, and Yobe have no female senatorial candidates, while Akwa Ibom has the highest with 10.

She emphasized that the issue is not a lack of qualified women but rather structural barriers. She called for media support in promoting women candidates and for the reinstatement of the Reserved Seats for Women Bill.

Mr. Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of CISLAC, criticized political parties for not presenting diverse candidates and highlighted the need for citizens to challenge party primaries.