2027: Amupitan challenges parties to encourage women participation in politics – The Nation Newspaper

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September 10, 2026 by Tony Akowe, Abuja
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman   Joash Amupitan has challenged political parties to move from lip service to concrete action on  the  participation of women in politics.
He said during   an   engagement with party leaders, female candidates, civil society organisations and development partners  ahead of the 2027 general election  in Abuja yesterday    that “a democracy that mobilises women as voters but provides limited pathways for them to become political leaders is yet to fully realise its representative potential.”
Represented by National Commissioner,   Rhoda Gumus, the INEC chairman said the question before INEC  was “not simply about the participation of women in one electoral cycle,” but one that goes to “the character, inclusiveness and long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s democracy.”

Prof. Amupitan pointed out  that women have  a formidable electoral strength  with  44,414,846 out of the   93,469,008 registered voters in the 2023 general election
He added that during the voter registration  for 2027 polls,   3,867,997 Nigerians who completed registration  as of July 26, 2026, women accounted for 2,037,589, or 52.68 per cent, compared with 1,830,408 men.

 “Women therefore accounted for the majority of new registrants in the final phase of the exercise. Women are not marginal to Nigeria’s electoral population. They are a substantial part of the electorate,”  the INEC chairman  said.

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Prof Amupitan maintained that this weight at the polling unit was not reflected in candidacy or elective office.
Making reference to the 2023 election data,  he  said only 1,556 of 15,331 candidates across major elective positions, representing 10.15 per cent, were women, while just three women were elected to the Senate and 16 to the House of Representatives, representing 2.8 per cent and 4.4 per cent of seats respectively.

“A substantial gap appears to exist between women’s participation as voters and their participation as political leaders,” Prof. Amupitan added.

He challenged political parties to consider the type of  practical support  that could be extended to female candidates in areas such as “access to party structures and leadership, campaign platforms, media visibility, fundraising networks, mentoring, political communication, logistics, security and grassroots mobilisation.”
He also charged them  to examine whether women were being given genuine opportunities to rise through their structures.
 The INEC chief argued that “the participation of women is not a favour to women. It is a democratic imperative,” urging parties to move “from commitment to action, from aspiration to implementation.”

 INEC Secretary     Rose Oriaran-Anthony said the advancement of women’s political participation “cannot be achieved by the Commission or by any single institution acting in isolation,” but requires “a collective commitment and sustained action from all stakeholders.”
  Oriaran-Anthony said political parties, as “the principal vehicles through which citizens organise, seek elective office and participate in democratic governance,” bear direct responsibility for the opportunities available to women.

Inec

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