Women political leaders from across Nigeria’s North-East have criticised the delegate selection system used by political parties, describing it as a major barrier to women’s emergence in leadership positions.
The leaders spoke in Gombe at the opening of the North-East Women in Political Parties Summit, organised by LEADTOTS Development Initiative with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
Hauwa Gana Ibrahim, the Women Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe State, said women are poorly represented as party delegates — a situation she argued gives men an overwhelming advantage during party primaries.
She explained that a recent law requiring party executives to contest delegate positions, rather than automatically serving as delegates, has further weakened women’s chances because most female party officials lack the financial resources to compete.
“The number one problem women have is that political parties must go through primaries, yet women have very minimal delegates,” she said. “The new law has created even more challenges because even party executives are no longer automatic delegates.”
Rifkatu Maxwell, Head of Voter Education and Publicity at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Gombe, shared a similar concern, saying delegate lists in most parties are “dominated by men who naturally favour male aspirants.”
She encouraged women to support female candidates across party lines in the 2027 elections, adding that alliances similar to the coalition that produced the winning presidential ticket in 2023 could help women secure better representation.
“Women should put aside party differences and support women contesting against men,” she said. “The voters’ register shows that women and youths outnumber men, so women have the numerical strength to change the narrative.”
Ms Maxwell also disclosed that a bill before the National Assembly seeks to reserve one Senate seat per state for women. She advocated for at least three reserved seats in each state assembly and called on political parties to offer free nomination forms to female aspirants, just as INEC does.
Women’s rights advocate, Halima Mahdi, echoed the concerns, saying the lack of women delegates often prevents women from securing party tickets. She urged participants at the summit to organise and change the situation in the 2027 elections.
Earlier, Nicholas Oshojah Afeso, Executive Director of LEADTOTS Development Initiative, stressed that increased women’s leadership is essential for progress in the region. He said the summit brought together women political leaders from various parties, INEC representatives, members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), and the Women Peer Support Network.
Afeso said the two-day summit would explore strategies for dismantling patriarchal structures, designing issue-based campaigns, and financing women’s political ambitions.
He encouraged women to engage boldly and use the summit as a springboard for building new political alliances and advancing women’s leadership across the North-East.
