By Ameh Gabriel
Abuja, Nigeria – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called for constitutional and legal reforms to guarantee greater participation of women in Nigeria’s politics.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving members of the Women’s Collective Forum on Women’s Participation and Representation in Elective Positions and Party Leadership.
Yakubu noted that while the commission had made strides in promoting inclusivity, sustainable change could only be achieved through binding legal provisions.
“At the INEC headquarters, out of 22 departments and directorates, 12 representing 55 percent are headed by women. We also established the Gender and Inclusivity Department as part of our efforts,” he said. “However, much work still lies ahead. For elective positions, affirmative action anchored on constitutional and legal reform offers the clearest path forward.”
The INEC Chairman urged advocates to leverage the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022 to secure guarantees for women and other marginalised groups.
Leader of the delegation, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, commended INEC for creating space for dialogue but stressed that political parties remain the biggest obstacle to women’s full participation.
“Our politics is deeply structural in its exclusion, whether of women, young people, or persons with disabilities. Political parties act as gatekeepers and, sometimes, as jailers, confining women to token roles,” Toyo said.
She urged Nigeria to adopt international best practices such as voluntary quotas, legal provisions, and robust party reforms to increase women’s chances in governance.
Other members of the forum, including the Director of the Electoral Hub, Princess Hamman-Obels, Prof. Jibo Ibrahim, and Adora Jack, also called for deliberate action to dismantle systemic barriers hindering women and other vulnerable groups in politics
