Nigeria: Women Account for 9.7% of National Assembly, 11.1% of Presidential Candidates - INEC

What the report says

Women are still a small share of Nigeria’s 2027 election candidates, according to an analysis of the final candidate lists published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and reported by Daily Trust. The figures show women make up 9.7% of the candidates for the National Assembly and 11.1% of those running for president.

The report said 469 women are listed among 4,863 candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives combined. In the presidential race, only two of the 18 candidates are women, while four women are named among the 18 vice-presidential candidates. Together, the presidential and vice-presidential slots include 36 people, of whom six are women.

Daily Trust’s analysis broke the figures down further by chamber and party. Women account for 9.4% of Senate candidates and 9.7% of House of Representatives candidates. Some parties fielded relatively higher proportions of women, while others had very few or none. The report also noted that female representation varies widely across party lists, with a handful of parties standing out for higher percentages, though the overall pattern remains one of clear underrepresentation.

The findings matter because candidate lists are often used as an early indicator of how inclusive an election is likely to be. In Nigeria, women have historically faced low representation in elective office, so the INEC list offers a snapshot of the gender imbalance ahead of the 2027 polls.