Nigeria: Nigeria's Female Representation Among the Worst Globally, Says Group

What the report says

A Nigerian advocacy group, the Leaders of Tomorrow Impact Campaign on the Naija NextGen Project, has said women remain severely underrepresented in the country’s political system and argued that the gap is among the worst globally. In a statement attributed to founder Delmwa Deshi-Kura in Jos and reported by Leadership via AllAfrica, the group said the problem reflects long-running political exclusion rather than a lack of qualified women.

The group cited Nigeria’s current legislative makeup, saying women hold 15 of 356 seats in the House of Representatives and four of 107 seats in the Senate. It also pointed to the 2023 elections as evidence of structural barriers, noting that women made up a much smaller share of candidates than of voters, and that no female governorship candidate won office. The statement said exclusion often takes place inside party primaries, where women and young people face high costs, opaque delegate systems and political intimidation.

The campaign renewed its call for full implementation of the 35% affirmative action target in the National Gender Policy and urged lawmakers to adopt enforceable measures such as reserved seats. It also asked political parties to publish gender-disaggregated data. The group warned that without structural changes, the 2027 elections could repeat the same patterns, and said post-election appointments should better reflect Nigeria’s demographics.

The remarks come amid broader debate in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa over how to improve women’s participation in elected office. The report frames the issue as both a democratic representation concern and a development matter.