{
  "id": 10124706,
  "title": "2027 POLLS AND GENDER REPRESENTATION",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/2027-polls-and-gender-representation",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-27T03:11:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/09/27/2027-polls-and-gender-representation/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the lead-up to the 2027 general elections in Nigeria, concerns have been raised regarding the representation of women in the political arena. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released a final list of candidates for the presidency, senate, governorship, house of representatives, and state houses of assembly. However, there are numerous controversies surrounding the accuracy of this list, with candidates and political parties challenging alleged omissions or substitutions.\n\nThe statistics paint a troubling picture of the current state of women's representation in Nigerian politics. Out of the 4,881 candidates cleared by INEC for the three elections (presidency, Senate, and House of Representatives), only 471 are women, representing 9.65 percent of the total candidates. This figure starkly contrasts with the 90.35 percent of male candidates. The Project Officer of the Renevlyn Development Initiative, Tracy Ohovwore, highlights the issue of women being presented as merely \"ticking off the box\" rather than being genuinely deserving of their positions.\n\nThis marginalization of women in politics is reflected in Nigeria's ranking of 180th out of 185 countries evaluated by the Inter-Parliamentary Union for women's representation in parliament. The nation sits at the bottom of sub-Saharan Africa, where the average is 27.3 percent. In comparison, Rwanda, a global exemplar of feminist governance, boasts a 61.3 percent representation of women in its legislature. Sierra Leone, which enacted a Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act in 2023, achieved a 30.4 percent representation of women in its parliamentary seats within months.\n\nDespite the efforts of political parties to address the issue of under-representation, the trend persists. Many parties exist only during election seasons and disappear afterward, failing to establish a foundation for gender inclusivity. Furthermore, women face an uphill battle even when they contest elections, with their chances of winning being significantly lower than those of their male counterparts.\n\nTo rectify this deeply concerning trend, the country must find a way to confront the challenge of women's under-representation in political offices. The economic aspirations of Delta State, with its 'Big Heart' economic worldview, provide a promising avenue for addressing this issue. With a population of 7.8 million and a GDP of $40 billion, Delta State has several sectors that can be assessed for potential economic development, including energy, digital economy, aviation, maritime, real estate, and steel.",
  "summary": "There is need to do more to achieve better female access to political power The Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list of candidates released for the 2027 general election has",
  "key_points": [
    "Only 9.65% of 4,881 cleared candidates for 2027 elections are women in Nigeria.",
    "Nigeria ranks 180th out of 185 countries for women's representation in parliament."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}