A coalition of 20 civil society organisations (CSOs) has called on political parties in Ekiti State to take deliberate steps to increase women’s political representation ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement issued Friday in Ado-Ekiti, the coalition urged parties, through the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), to ensure women’s interests are adequately reflected in candidate selection processes. The groups said parties must eliminate discrimination, intimidation, and exclusion in their internal processes and be held accountable to principles of inclusion, fairness, and democratic integrity.
The CSOs set a target of raising women’s representation in the Ekiti State House of Assembly from the current 23 per cent to 35 per cent, describing the benchmark as a democratic necessity rather than a symbolic goal.
“We call on all political parties in Ekiti State to institutionalise clear and inclusive guidelines for candidate selection, including where consensus arrangements are adopted, and publicly commit to the 35 per cent affirmative action target for women’s representation across National and State Assembly candidacies,” the statement read.
The coalition, which includes groups working to advance women’s political participation in the state, said Nigeria’s commitment to inclusive governance and the 35 per cent affirmative action policy has not translated into increased participation of women in leadership.
It noted that political parties remain the primary gatekeepers of democratic participation and that the process of selecting candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives, and state House of Assembly is critical to determining future representation.
“When women are excluded at the point of nomination, democracy itself is already compromised before a single vote is cast,” the coalition said. “The credibility of the 2027 elections will not only be measured by outcomes, but also by how inclusive the process is from the very beginning.”
The groups urged parties to ensure women are given fair and transparent opportunities to contest and emerge as candidates, and to extend serious consideration to women for positions in the House of Representatives and Senate rather than sidelining them in negotiations and power-sharing arrangements.
Signatories to the statement include the Women’s Political Participation Working Group in Ekiti State, the New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD), Balm in Gilead Foundation for Sustainable Development, Ekiti Women Arise, Ekiti Women Advocacy Team, Gender Mobile Initiative, FIDA Ekiti, the National Council of Women Societies, and the Women in Politics Forum, among others.
