Nigeria: Young Nigerian Women Want to Go Into Politics - Party Rules and Older Men Keep Them Out

What the report says

Nigeria’s 2027 elections are still ahead, but an analysis republished by AllAfrica from The Conversation Africa says the most important barriers to women’s participation are already embedded in party selection processes. The piece focuses on young Nigerian women who want to run for office but face obstacles inside the country’s dominant parties, especially the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, where informal influence from older male party leaders remains strong.

The article says Nigeria has a large female population and a very young demographic profile, yet women and young people remain heavily underrepresented in elected office. It cites earlier reforms, including the 2018 “Not Too Young to Run” law and later party fee waivers for women and younger aspirants, but argues these measures have not produced major change. The analysis draws on interviews with party leaders and candidates and says young women encounter biased expectations, family-origin disputes, reliance on sponsor networks, and financial demands that favor well-connected men.

Looking ahead to the 2027 cycle, the article says Nigeria’s 2026 Electoral Act removed indirect primaries and narrowed some avenues for elite manipulation, but left major gaps. Those include party control over internal rules, no cap on nomination fees, and legal limits on court challenges to party disputes. The author argues that stronger enforcement, candidate-selection quotas, and fee limits would be needed to make political competition more open to young women.