Former Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, has implored parties to embrace a 50-50 gender model in nominating candidates for the 2027 general elections, stating that every male candidate must be paired with a female counterpart at all levels of political contests.

She warned that anything short of equal participation between men and women would undermine the nation’s democratic credibility and credentials on the global stage.

This is even as stakeholders, including the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; National Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yusuf Dantalle, and Deputy National Woman Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Zainab Ibrahim, demanded inclusivity in governance.

Tallen appealed yesterday at the opening of a two-day capacity building conference for women political leaders, themed “Breaking Barriers and Shaping Positive Attitudes for Inclusive Politics in Nigeria,” organised by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), in collaboration with IPAC, in Abuja.

She declared that the longstanding advocacy for 35 per cent affirmative action was no longer sufficient, insisting that it was time for Nigeria to embrace full gender parity.

The ex-minister said, “It is unacceptable that in 2025, Nigeria still ranks among the bottom five globally in women’s representation in parliament.”

Also speaking, the Director-General of NIPSS, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, observed that the conference came at a defining moment for Nigeria’s democracy, stressing that inclusive politics is central to national development.