Follow Us on Google
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Women in Politics Forum (WiPF) on Monday condemned a surge of violence, intimidation and systemic exclusion against female aspirants during party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections, and called on political parties and security agencies to uphold due process and prosecute those responsible.
In a press statement, WiPF Executive Director Ebere Ifendu said the primaries have exposed worrying abuses of the “consensus candidate” mechanism that have shut women out of contesting elective positions.
“The Forum views with grave alarm the alarming wave of violence, intimidation, and systemic exclusion being visited upon women aspirants across Nigeria’s political parties in the current primary election season,” Ifendu said. “What is unfolding is not merely a breach of democratic norms, it is a deliberate and orchestrated assault on the political rights of Nigerian women.”
Ifendu said many women entered the cycle on the strength of commitments from party leaders and had purchased nomination forms in good faith, only to face exclusion.
“Responding to these assurances, a significant number of women purchased expression of interest and nomination forms to contest at various levels across multiple political parties. These women acted in good faith, investing their resources and reputations based on promises made.”
She added that the misuse of consensus arrangements — long a feature of party politics — has reached “embarrassing proportions” and has contributed to a decline in women emerging as candidates. “The abuse of the ‘consensus candidate’ mechanism, a practice not new but now reaching embarrassing proportions, has led to a significant and unjustifiable decline in the number of women emerging as candidates.”
Ifendu highlighted what she described as a spate of targeted attacks and discriminatory practices: direct intimidation to force women to withdraw, refusal by party officials to sell nomination forms to female aspirants, technology-facilitated harassment, and physical assaults.
“WiPF has documented a sharp increase in multi-dimensional violence targeting women aspirants. These acts include direct intimidation to compel women to withdraw their ambitions; deliberate refusal by party officials to sell nomination forms to female aspirants; technology-facilitated violence designed to harass and discredit women in the public sphere; and direct physical attacks.”
She singled out two incidents. First, the disqualification of a sitting senator, Senator Ipalibo Banigo, which Ifendu called “frivolous and untenable” and a warning to other women. “Most egregiously, a sitting senator, Senator Ipalibo Banigo, was disqualified on frivolous and untenable grounds, sending a chilling message to women aspirants across the country.”
Second, a physical attack inside a party secretariat on Senator Ireti Kingibe and another female aspirant, which the forum described as “unconscionable.” “In a particularly shocking incident, Senator Ireti Kingibe and a fellow female aspirant were physically assaulted within the premises of their own party secretariat, an attack that represents an unconscionable violation of their safety and democratic rights.”
Other News
Ifendu warned the coordinated exclusion and violence risk further eroding women’s already low representation in government, currently about 4 percent. “WiPF is deeply concerned that these coordinated acts of violence and exclusion will further erode women’s representation in governance, which already stands at an embarrassing 4%, one of the lowest in Africa and the world.”
The statement set out specific demands. WiPF called on the Nigeria Police Force to “immediately arrest, investigate, and prosecute all identified assailants involved in the physical attack on Senator Ireti Kingibe and her fellow female aspirant. No political actor must be allowed to operate above the law.”
The forum also directed political parties to ensure their nomination processes follow established rules and to stop weaponising the consensus mechanism to exclude women. “The weaponisation of the consensus mechanism to exclude women is illegal, anti-democratic, and will not be tolerated,” Ifendu said.
WiPF further urged security agencies to be deployed proactively to protect women during primaries and asked party organs to review and reverse Banigo’s disqualification and any other unjust exclusions. “Security agencies must be deployed proactively to ensure the safety of women participating in party primaries across all states,” the statement said. “WiPF calls on the relevant party organs to review and reverse the baseless disqualification of Senator Ipalibo Banigo and any other female aspirant whose exclusion cannot be justified by the rules of the party.”
Ifendu warned of sustained pushback if actions are not taken. “Let it be clearly understood: Nigerian women will not remain silent in the face of this level of political impunity and rascality. WiPF will mobilise all available legal, civil society, and international mechanisms to hold accountable every individual, party official, or institution that stands as an obstacle to women’s full and equal participation in Nigeria’s democracy.”
