2027 Elections: 13 States Without Female Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over Women’s Political Inclusion

With less than a year to Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, concerns are growing that women may once again remain largely excluded from legislative representation, as 13 states currently operate all-male Houses of Assembly.

States such as Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Abia, Osun, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara have no female lawmakers in their assemblies, highlighting persistent structural barriers facing women in politics.

Women’s rights advocates warn that without urgent reforms, the gender imbalance in governance could continue into the next electoral cycle.

Central to the debate is the proposed Reserved Seats for Women Bill, a constitutional amendment sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu. The bill seeks to guarantee special legislative seats for women at both national and state levels.

Speaking in Abuja, Osasu Igbinedion Ogwuche, Chief Executive Officer of TOS Group and National Convener of the bill’s campaign coalition, urged President Bola Tinubu to take decisive steps to ensure the bill is passed before election campaigns begin.

“Time is running out,” Ogwuche said, warning that failure to secure legislative approval may push women’s groups to pursue an executive-sponsored bill as an alternative.

She described the proposal as a temporary but necessary corrective measure aimed at reversing decades of women’s exclusion from decision-making positions.

The bill proposes amendments to Sections 48 and 49 of the Constitution to create one additional Senate seat and one additional House of Representatives seat per state, including one each for the Federal Capital Territory, reserved exclusively for women.

It also seeks to amend Section 91 to introduce three special seats for women in every State House of Assembly, alongside adjustments to electoral provisions to support implementation.

The urgency of the reform is further underscored by Nigeria’s low global ranking in women’s parliamentary representation. Data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) shows women hold only about four per cent of seats in Nigeria’s National Assembly, far below the global average of 27 per cent.

Currently, only four women serve in the 109-member Senate, while the House of Representatives has about 15 female lawmakers out of roughly 360 members.

This places Nigeria among the lowest-ranking countries worldwide in female legislative representation.

Advocacy Lead of TOS Foundation, Andikan Umoh, attributed the imbalance to factors such as high campaign costs, political violence, patriarchal party structures and weak institutional support for female candidates.

He noted that other African countries like Rwanda, South Africa, Namibia and Senegal have improved women’s participation through constitutional quotas and party reforms.

Campaigners rejected claims that the bill amounts to special treatment, insisting it is about strengthening democracy through inclusion.

“All democracies already apply corrective mechanisms such as federal character and zoning. Reserved seats for women simply broaden participation and improve governance,” Umoh said.

Advocates warned that without swift action, Nigeria risks entering the 2027 elections with half of its population still largely shut out of legislative chambers, weakening the country’s democratic development.