Women to Hold Only 2.7% of Senate Seats by 2027

A coalition of women-led groups has warned that women may occupy just 2.7% of Senate seats following the 2027 general elections, a decline from 3.6% in 2023. During a press conference in Abuja, civil society organizations presented findings from an audit of the 2026 party primaries across 22 political parties, highlighting persistent barriers to female participation.

Bukki Shonibar, Executive Director of Invictus Africa, noted that only three women won Senate primaries across the parties, with the highest female aspirant rates being 28.2% for the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and 22.2% for the Young Progressives Party (YPP). The coalition called for immediate policy and legislative action, including the passage of a special seat bill, to close the gender gap in political representation.

They urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish a comprehensive gender-disaggregated audit report and emphasized the need for reforms to ensure fair representation of women in politics.