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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Former Minister of Women Affairs Pauline Tallen has urged political parties to adopt a 50-50 gender pairing model for the 2027 general elections, mandating that every male candidate be paired with a female counterpart at all levels.
Speaking on Wednesday at a two-day conference in Abuja, organised by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Tallen warned that anything less would undermine Nigeria’s global democratic credibility.
She stated, “We’re not just demanding 35 percent anymore; we’re demanding 50-50—the twinning method. Namibia has done it. Rwanda has even exceeded it.”
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Tallen, a former deputy governor, described Nigeria’s low female parliamentary representation—among the bottom five globally—as an embarrassment, citing the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s 27.2% global average.
She urged parties to amend their constitutions to implement the “Zebra Policy” for 50-50 candidate pairing and reserve 50% of leadership roles for women, saying, “One solution I recommend is for all political parties to immediately amend their constitutions to create special seats for women.” She added, “We call ourselves the giant of Africa. How can you be a giant without showing the example?”
Minister of Women Affairs Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, IPAC Chairman Yusuf Dantalle, and APC Deputy National Woman Leader Zainab Ibrahim echoed calls for inclusivity. Sulaiman-Ibrahim praised IPAC’s Women’s Directorate roadmap as a landmark step, urging parties to allocate resources and protections for female politicians.
NIPSS Director-General Professor Ayo Omotayo stressed that women’s under-representation threatens democratic effectiveness, stating, “This deficit in women’s representation is not just a matter of gender equity. It is a fundamental challenge to the inclusiveness and effectiveness of our democracy.”
