The representation of women in the national and state legislatures in Nigeria needs to alarm everyone who cherishes the value of equal representation. The current proportion of female legislators in both chambers of the National Assembly is still below the international average. Though Nigeria’s Constitution does not explicitly mandate a specific percentage of women’s representation in government, it guarantees equal rights for men and women in terms of political participation. Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution highlights the principle of federal character and fair representation but does not directly enforce a gender quota.
Between 1999 and 2025, the political landscape in Nigeria has not witnessed any significant shift in gender representation. Nigeria is referred to as the Giant of Africa. In 1999, 16 women were elected into the National Assembly, with 13 in the House of Representatives and three in the Senate. The total number increased to 25 in 2003 with 21 in the House and four in the Senate. The year 2007 was a significant milestone in Nigeria’s political landscape, as 36 women were elected to the National Assembly, with 27 securing seats in the House of Assembly and nine in the Senate. However, after 1999, the representation of women in elections began to decline.
Efforts to enhance women’s political participation over the years have included initiatives such as the National Policy on Women of 2000, which pledged a 30% increase in women’s involvement. This saw certain political parties waiving nomination fees for female candidates in the 2003 elections.
Again, the National Gender Policy was introduced in 2006 to promote gender equality, particularly in decision-making roles. The policy supports increasing women’s participation in politics and public offices to ensure equal representation. One of the targets outlined in the policy was a 35% target for women’s participation in governance and decision-making positions.
Across West Africa, Ghana is one of the countries that have made significant strides in promoting women’s representation in politics and decision-making. Ghana’s laws and policies on women’s political participation are aimed at addressing gender imbalances through several legal frameworks and initiatives to support women in leadership and governance. The country’s parliament passed the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act 2024, which introduced a 30% quota for women in parliament and other decision-making bodies, with a requirement for political parties to adopt gender equality and equity in their electoral and appointive processes. Although, it has yet to be implemented.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) recently published the Women in Parliament 1995-2025 report. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of women’s advancements in national parliaments over the past three decades. This report commemorates 30 years since the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a ground-breaking UN framework that established a clear roadmap for advancing gender equality and women’s rights.
Between 1995 and 2025, the global representation of women in national parliaments rose from 11.3% to 27.2%, marking an increase of 15.9%. While significant strides were made between 2000 and 2015, the rate of progress has slowed in recent years, highlighting the ongoing challenges in achieving gender parity in political representation. Rwanda stands out as a global leader in women’s parliamentary representation, with women holding 63.8% of seats in both the lower and single houses of parliament between 1995 and 2025.
This makes Rwanda the highest-ranking country in Sub-Saharan Africa and the world leader in women’s representation in parliament for over two decades. However, despite overall global progress, countries like Nigeria have not consistently advanced in women’s political participation during the period under review. As a result, they have missed out on recognition given to nations that have made sustained progress toward gender equality in politics.
Between 1999 and 2025, the political landscape in Nigeria has not witnessed any significant shift in gender representation. Nigeria is referred to as the giant of Africa. In 1999, 16 women were elected into the National Assembly. In 1999, 16 women were elected into the National Assembly with 13 in the House of Representatives and three in the Senate. The total number increased to 25 in 2003 with 21 in the House and four in the Senate. The year 2007 was a significant milestone in Nigeria’s political landscape, as 36 women were elected to the National Assembly, with 27 securing seats in the House of Assembly and nine in the Senate. However, after 1999, the representation of women in elections began to decline.
Gender quotas and the electoral system have been a factor in the IPU’s analysis of gender representation in the share of women elected to parliaments in 168 countries of which Nigeria was not part. Chambers with proportional representation or mixed electoral systems elected or appointed the highest share of women. Electoral quotas made a critical difference in 2024 in the share of women elected to parliament. Only 16.8% of women Members of parliament were elected or appointed across all chambers with no quota system in place. In contrast, where quotas existed in some form, 31.2% of women were elected or appointed.
Increasing women’s representation continues to be a challenge in Nigerian politics. Factors always cited include cultural practices, threats of intimidation or violence, high costs of electioneering, and issues regarding indigeneity. The question here is: why do women, who are often the majority at political meetings at the unit and ward levels, not vote for their fellow women? Why are more women turning out to vote than men? The trend has continued to make the “woman vote” salient in different ways.
Some of the reasons attributed to this continued imbalance are social conditioning and societal bias. This bias has historically been male-dominated in leadership roles. Some women, like men, may have internalised biases that make them sceptical of female candidates’ ability to lead. The lack of female representation and role models is another reason that has been suggested. This is because there are fewer women in politics, some female voters may not automatically see women as political leaders and may not feel convinced to vote for them. Increased awareness and reorientation of the advantages of supporting the number of viable and competitive women in politics, together with creating free and fair electoral procedures that may change the current narrative in gender representation.
There have been efforts by activists, lawmakers, and various women’s organisations to push for a gender quota or a more explicit 2/3 gender representation rule in the Nigerian Constitution. However, these efforts have faced significant opposition and have not yet resulted in substantial legal changes. In 2022, for instance, a bill to introduce a 30% gender quota for women in political offices was rejected by the 9th National Assembly, despite strong support from civil society groups. Interestingly, during the 2025 International Women’s Day program, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the President of the Senate and Chairman of the 10th National Assembly, pledged to revisit the rejected bill.
The new proposed Seat Reservation for Women Bill by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, is a welcome development towards increasing women’s representation at all levels of the political ladder. Although a token it will be better than what it is presently. It is recommended that these seats be allocated to capable and able women. In addition, there is a need for Political party reform. This is because representation comes from political parties. Since the electorate votes for a political party, not gender, every party should be encouraged to ensure that, women are given opportunities. This can be achieved with political reform that makes it mandatory that there should always be a woman on every list of candidates submitted at the Federal, state and local levels.
Commission on the Status of Women will be meeting in New York this week to look at how far countries have gone in meeting the needs of women. With only less than 8% women in the Nigerian legislature, and the disturbing manner women’s issues are handled in Nigeria, one may conclude that Nigeria is out of step with other nations. The Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) is about gender equality. It is time for both men and women to embrace better representation of women at the table of political empowerment.
In conclusion, Nigeria has yet to incorporate a gender quota into its constitution or political system, despite persistent debates and advocacy efforts by women’s groups. Those who support this global cause must stay resolute and determined until the imbalance against women is overturned. Empowering women, particularly in areas like entrepreneurship, will be a powerful tool to overcome financial barriers and advance the cause of gender equality in politics. In the Nigerian environment, men own a greater percentage of resources. The cost of running for office in Nigeria is high, and many women lack the financial resources to compete effectively.
Additionally, women should establish support networks to help one another, particularly those interested in participating in politics. This will serve as a ladder in wrestling the systems that have historically been dominated by men, with women often finding it difficult to secure the same levels of support or party backing. Nigeria women must rise against patriarchy in politics, a system of male dominance validated by societies operating, where women are supposed to be silent, chastised and even by fellow women. Nigeria must see Rwanda as a model, with 63.8% women in the national legislature, to avoid being seen as a Giant without feet.
