WIPF Condemns Violence against Female Aspirants

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The Women in Politics Forum (WiPF) has condemned a wave of violence, intimidation, and systemic exclusion targeted at female aspirants in Nigeria’s ongoing party primaries ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a statement issued yesterday, WiPF Executive Director Ebere Ifendu said the pattern of abuse pointed to a deliberate attack on women’s political rights. “What is unfolding is not merely a breach of democratic norms; it is a deliberate and orchestrated assault on the political rights of Nigerian women,” she said.

Ifendu noted that many women entered the electoral cycle in good faith after securing commitments from party leaders for greater inclusion. Responding to these assurances, a significant number of women purchased Expression of Interest and nomination forms to contest at various levels across multiple political parties. These women acted in good faith, investing their resources and reputations based on promises made,” she stated.

The forum cited the misuse of the “consensus candidate” mechanism as a major barrier. “The abuse of the ‘consensus candidate’ mechanism, a practice not new but now reaching embarrassing proportions, has led to a significant and unjustifiable decline in the number of women emerging as candidates,” Ifendu said.

She singled out the disqualification of Senator Ipalibo Banigo “on frivolous and untenable grounds,” saying it sent “a chilling message to women aspirants across the country.”

WiPF also reported a rise in multi-dimensional violence against female aspirants, including intimidation to force withdrawals, refusal by party officials to sell nomination forms to women, online harassment, and physical attacks. “In a particularly shocking incident, Senator Ireti Kingibe and a fellow female aspirant were physically assaulted within the premises of their own party secretariat, an attack that represents an unconscionable violation of their safety and democratic rights,” the statement read.

The group warned that the attacks threaten to push women’s representation even lower than the current 4 percent, already one of the lowest rates in Africa and globally. “Nigerian women have struggled for decades to reach even this meagre figure. Any further reduction would be a national disgrace and a failure of our democratic obligations,” Ifendu said.

WiPF demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of those behind the assault on Senator Kingibe, compliance by parties with nomination rules, proactive deployment of security to protect women aspirants, and a review of “baseless” disqualifications. “Nigerian women will not remain silent in the face of this level of political impunity and rascality,” Ifendu warned, adding that WiPF would mobilise legal, civil society, and international channels to hold violators accountable.