GOCOP 2026: Women’s Representation in 2027 Elections Faces Decline -Adaora Sydney-Jack Warns
Gender equality advocate Dr. Adaora Onyechere Sydney-Jack has warned of declining women’s representation in Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections, calling on political parties to move beyond symbolic inclusion and adopt measures that guarantee women greater access to elective offices.
Sydney-Jack, Founder of WEWE Network Afrique and Creative Director of Gender Agenda, made the call during a panel session at the 10th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, on October 7 and 8.
Speaking on the theme, “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities,” she attributed the declining representation of women to barriers within political party processes, particularly the use of consensus arrangements that, she argued, often lack transparency and limit women’s opportunities to emerge as candidates.
She urged stakeholders to replace what she described as “performative inclusion” with concrete measures that would enable more women to contest and win elective positions.
According to Sydney-Jack, figures from the political parties’ primaries and emerging candidate lists point to a worrying trend, with only three female senatorial candidates emerging across 22 political parties and just two women emerging as presidential candidates, alongside four female vice-presidential candidates across the NNPP, Labour Party, YPP and YP.
She warned that the limited number of women on the ballot could further widen the gender gap in the National Assembly, where women currently account for about four per cent of lawmakers, according to figures she cited.
“If we continue along this path, we are looking at having just about 2.7 per cent of women in the Senate in 2027,” she said, expressing concern that women, despite their participation as voters, would remain underrepresented among elected officials.
Sydney-Jack also questioned the transparency of consensus-based party primaries, arguing that opaque arrangements could prevent female aspirants from competing on equal terms with their male counterparts.
She cited the low proportion of women among candidates of major political parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which she said had about 10.8 per cent female candidates.
The gender advocate called for renewed efforts to advance proposals for reserved legislative seats for women, describing affirmative measures as necessary to improve their participation in Nigeria’s political institutions.
On electoral credibility, Sydney-Jack said the adoption of modern technology by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would not, on its own, guarantee public confidence in elections.
She argued that technological improvements must be accompanied by institutional accountability, transparent procedures and credible enforcement of electoral laws, including appropriate sanctions for violations.
“Technological credibility cannot replace institutional credibility,” she maintained, urging INEC to strengthen public trust by ensuring that elections are free, fair and transparent.
She also cautioned against interpreting the outcome of the Osun State governorship election as a definitive indication of what would happen in the 2027 general elections, noting that Osun represents only one state among Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
However, she said public reactions to the election, including suspicions that the outcome could influence the conduct of the 2027 polls, illustrated the trust deficit confronting the electoral commission.
Her remarks placed women’s political representation, transparent party primaries and public confidence in INEC at the centre of discussions at the GOCOP conference, as stakeholders considered the responsibilities of political parties, electoral institutions and the media in the run-up to the 2027 elections.
