Stakeholders, under the auspices of the Gender Strategy Advancement International (GSAI), have lamented the low representation of women among the candidates for the 2027 National Assembly elections, saying that there are only 443 women among the 4,408 candidates contesting the Senate and House of Representatives seats.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a news conference themed “Beyond Participation: Amplifying Women Candidates, Advancing Political Leadership and Building an Inclusive Nigeria for 2027,” they noted that women, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), constitute 10.1 per cent of the 4,408 candidates.

Noting that the challenge was not due to a lack of qualified women, the group said the political system needed to create more equitable pathways through which women could translate their experience and competence into electoral opportunities.

Therefore, they called for reserved seats for women as part of electoral reforms to address their continued underrepresentation in Nigeria’s legislative institutions.

The Executive Director of GSAI, Adaora Sydney-Jack, said the figures, though showing an increase in the total number of women candidates compared with 2023, underscored the continued structural barriers confronting women seeking elective office.

The GSAI, in collaboration with PWAN, CISLAC, PAACA and others, also called on journalists and media organisations to give women candidates more equitable coverage ahead of the elections by focusing on their policies.