By Eunice Orike
The League of Women Voters of Nigeria NILOWV,and the Inter-Party Advisory Council IPAC, has proposed a cross-party agreement to increase women’s political representation and address barriers limiting their access to elective positions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The proposed Women’s Political Inclusion Compact would bring together political parties, female candidates, women’s organisations and civil society groups to establish practical measures for promoting women’s participation in politics.
The National Chairman of IPAC, Dr Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, who was represented by the National Chairman of the Rescue Movement (NRM) and IPAC Director-General, Nigeria, Prince Chinedu Obi, made the proposal on Thursday at NILOWV’s 30th anniversary multi-stakeholder summit in Abuja.
The summit, held at the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), on Thursday in Abuja had the theme, “Political Candidates, Women’s Groups and Civil Society, Building a Common Agenda.”
Dantalle said increasing women’s representation required political parties to reform the rules and practices governing access to political power.
He said political parties played a central role in determining candidates, campaign financing, access to resources and leadership opportunities, making their commitment essential to improving women’s representation.
According to him, women’s participation in politics should not be treated as a favour from party leaders but as a matter of fairness, democratic development and inclusive governance.
He said the proposed compact would focus on six areas, transparent party nomination processes, practical support for women candidates, protection against political violence and intimidation, evidence-based voter education, a common women’s policy agenda and public accountability.
The initiative, he explained, would be voluntary and non-partisan, allowing political parties to retain their independence while working towards common democratic standards.
Under the proposal, political parties would be encouraged to publish their nomination rules, establish clear complaint procedures and ensure that women were represented in party leadership, decision-making committees and candidate-selection processes.
The compact would also promote mentorship, campaign training, fundraising advice, media engagement, policy development and legal guidance for female aspirants.
Dantalle proposed a coordinating forum involving political parties, NILOWV and civil society organisations to monitor progress through an annual scorecard measuring commitments, participation, resource allocation and implementation.
He urged political parties to review their internal rules and take measurable steps to address barriers such as high nomination fees, campaign costs, safety concerns and informal networks that could disadvantage women.
He also called for stronger collaboration between political parties and women’s organisations before party manifestos were finalised and candidates selected, rather than engaging them only during election campaigns or commemorative events.
Dantalle stressed that women’s participation should extend beyond election day to include policy development, budget monitoring and accountability in public governance.
Also speaking at the summit, the ECOWAS representative to Nigeria, Mrs Beatrice Eyong, represented by Patience Ekeoba, called for a coordinated funding framework to support women seeking political office.
Eyong said development partners, bilateral and multilateral organisations, philanthropists, foundations and private sector organisations should pool resources around agreed priorities rather than pursue fragmented interventions.
She said a common investment framework would improve the impact of funding, sustain programmes beyond individual election cycles and help women overcome financial barriers to political participation.
She also called for leadership development grants, training in fundraising and financial management, mentorship for young women and stronger protection against election-related violence and intimidation.
Eyong urged stakeholders to align their advocacy and resources behind reforms to improve women’s representation, including sustained support for the proposed Special Seats Bill for Women.
Earlier, the Founder and Board of Trustees Chairperson of NILOWV, Rt. Hon. Dame Esther Uduehi, said women continued to face high nomination costs, unequal access to political networks and resources, intimidation and discriminatory practices within political parties.
Uduehi said these challenges could not be addressed simply by encouraging women to work harder but required reforms in the institutions and processes that determine access to leadership.
She disclosed that NILOWV had a national network comprising 37 state chairpersons, 774 local government coordinators and 8,809 ward coordinators, which could be mobilised for voter education, grassroots advocacy and leadership development with adequate funding and technical support.
She urged political parties to give women meaningful roles in decision-making rather than relying on them mainly for voter mobilisation, rallies and campaigns.
Uduehi also called on government institutions, development partners and civil society organisations to move beyond verbal commitments and invest in practical programmes to expand women’s political participation.
The summit formed part of activities marking NILOWV’s 30th anniversary, celebrated under the theme, “Thirty Years Strong, Empowering Women’s Voice, Leadership and Democratic Participation — Celebrating the Past, Shaping the Future.”
They both stressed that improving women’s representation required sustained collaboration, institutional reforms, adequate resources and measurable commitments to ensure women had fairer opportunities to contest elections and influence decisions affecting the country.
