Africa’s biggest democracy, Nigeria, is on the march again, moving towards its general elections in 2027, but the same cannot be said for women in the country who will throw their hats in the ring for the various elective offices that will be up for grabs in the winner-take-all elections.
This is so because the political situation on the ground in the country is nothing but demoralising for women.
Analysts say that the prospect of victory will be gloomy for women, and that by the time the current electoral cycle is completed, they might need a lot of reflection and recuperation.
A political analyst, Ifeoma Ogbonna, told The Point it is surprising that political activities are taking place at breakneck speed in the country, with deals being made, without much women involvement in them.
She urged women to “wake up from their slumber”.
Ogbonna said, “There are so many political activities taking place in the country at breakneck speed and deals are being made as we speak, but women are nowhere to be found.
“Women seem to have resigned themselves to fate. But nothing will be handed to you freely in this country unless you rise up and take that thing.
“We are all seeing how women are being relegated to the background and the frustrating thing is that they are not speaking up for themselves. They are not saying enough is enough.
“It is when the elections have come and gone that you will then see women complaining.
“Women should wake up from their slumber. I am saying this because 2027 may be their last chance to stake a claim for relevance in Nigeria.”
Political commentators have said that if women failed to put their own house in order when a new election cycle starts in 2027, they would once again lick their wounds after another disastrous performance in 2031.
As the first of several offices to be won in 2027, Nigerians do not need a crystal ball to tell them that the presidency would be jostled for and won by any one of the male candidates who will be among the hot favourites to be in the running for the position.
This is true because the male domination of the political field as presently constituted has an intimidating array of battle-tested male politicians who may not think twice before throwing chivalry out of the window.
Political juggernauts, such as Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party are still keeping their various yards safe from “intruders” and any ploy to disrupt the status quo would be viewed as an encroachment on their respective political turfs.
Also, since opposition parties in the country started holding nocturnal meetings geared towards forming a coalition that could wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress, the names of potential female presidential candidates have not been bandied about.
“The cultural factor is still there, the shortage of financial resources to mount a serious campaign is there, marginalization of women is also there. As long as these issues, and others like them, are with us, women’s representation will continue to suffer and decline”
Even the vice-Presidential slot has not been reserved for a woman. The male politicians have not so much as hinted at a woman being their running mate and these all paint a frustrating picture for women generally.
A female politician from Kwara State, Sarah Jibril is Nigeria’s first-ever female presidential candidate. She accomplished this insane feat in 2003 by beating male candidates in the presidential primary that was held by her party.
Jibril was with the Progressive Action Congress and soldiered on to the main election where she eventually lost the presidential contest to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
To her credit, Jibril became the first woman to represent a registered political party and Nigerians have been yearning for a repeat performance of her achievements, but have been disappointed so far.
Every other woman that later appeared on the presidential scene had simply made up the numbers, and now all indications point to another dismal outing by them in 2027.
A former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, became the first female candidate to contest the office of president on the platform of the APC.
However, she could not stand the heat and had to get out of the kitchen – she bowed out of the race, stepping down for Tinubu in the process.
For the confidence she reposed in then eventual winner, Tinubu, she was rewarded with a ministerial portfolio.
Analysts say that women can learn a thing or two about Kennedy-Ohanenye’s political wit.
According to them, her declaration to vie for the office of president was a route she used for reaching her political gold mine.
At the governorship level, the seats in the various states in Nigeria have also eluded women in the country.
No woman has contested a primary in any state and gone on to win it all in a governorship election proper.
The only woman who became a governor in a Nigerian state was a Deputy Governor of Anambra State named Virginia Etiaba. She took the reins of power in Anambra State after the then Governor, Peter Obi, was impeached by the state legislature for alleged gross misconduct.
Etiaba was in office from November 2006 to February 2007 but had to relinquish power after Obi was reinstated by the Court of Appeal.
Wanting to bring the big prize home, many other women in some of the states in Nigeria have tried to win governorship seats but have all fallen short.
The only female candidate who came close to hitting the jackpot was Nigeria’s former Minister of Women Affairs, the late Aisha Alhassan, aka Mama Taraba.
She contested the Taraba State governorship election in 2015 on the platform of the APC but lost to Darius Ishaku of the PDP.
Alhassan was later declared the winner of the election by an elections tribunal, but had the victory quashed by the Court of Appeal a few months later.
The appellate court ruled that Alhassan, whose party had engineered a petition that sought to have Ishaku disqualified as the candidate of his party in the governorship election, had no locus standi to question the decision of the PDP in making her opponent their flag bearer.
Turning the attention to the National Assembly, Nigerians will quickly notice that the state of affairs with women representation there is far from heartwarming.
Since 1999 when the Fourth Republic was birthed, the figures for female lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate have often struggled to reach double-digit.
In the 2023 general elections, the legislature at the federal level delivered low numbers for women, leaving the 10th National Assembly and Nigerians reeling from the experience.
Out of the 109 seats available to elected Senators, only four are occupied by women, and 16 out of the 360 House of Representatives seats belong to women.
With all the political permutations going on now, women representation in the National Assembly might plummet further, and according to analysts, it is no thanks to the feud between a suspended female senator from Kogi State, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused Akpabio of sexually harassing her and the matter has attracted global attention.
There are concerns in some quarters that their fight could be a major sticking point in the quest to have more women representation in the National Assembly in 2027.
The matter is, however, in court and Nigerians are keeping tabs on all proceedings there.
A legal practitioner, Clement Iloh, said, “The last election is one to forget for women. Their performance was not impressive.
“I read a report that said more than 95 percent of women that contested for various offices in all the 36 states and Abuja, lost out to men.
“I am afraid that the trend will continue in 2027.
“All the factors that have made women play second fiddle in politics have not been addressed.
“The cultural factor is still there, the shortage of financial resources to mount a serious campaign is there, marginalization of women is also there. As long as these issues, and others like them, are with us, women’s representation will continue to suffer and decline.”