Prof. Patricia Donli
Women’s representation and active participation in Nigeria’s political space continue to face serious challenges, with the country’s democratic process yet to translate into meaningful inclusion for women nearly 25 years after the return to civil rule, Professor Patricia Ori Donli has said.
Prof. Donli, a lecturer at the University of Maiduguri and Director at the Gender Equality, Peace and Development Centre (GEPaDC), made this known during a paper presentation to mark the conclusion of the 16 Days of Activism Against Violence on Women and Girls in Borno State.
Presenting a paper titled “Women’s Representation and Leadership in Politics in Borno State,” she noted that although women are elected to represent their constituents at the federal, state and local government levels, their overall numbers and influence in decision-making remain worryingly low.
“Since Nigeria’s return to electoral democracy in 1999, the democratic process has been fraught with challenges, particularly with regard to women’s engagement in politics,” she said.
According to Prof. Donli, the 2023 general elections further exposed the depth of the problem, describing the figures as “deeply disappointing.” She cited data showing that women currently occupy just four of the 109 Senate seats and 17 of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives. Nigeria has no female president, vice president or governor, while only eight women serve as deputy governors across the 36 states. Of the 45 ministers appointed, just seven are women.
“The data speaks for itself,” she stressed.
She added that Nigeria ranks 178 out of 186 countries globally in terms of women’s representation in national legislatures, placing it among the worst-performing nations worldwide.
Focusing on Borno State, Prof. Donli explained that women’s political representation has remained largely stagnant since 1999. In the Borno State House of Assembly, women accounted for just one out of 27 members in 1999, a figure that has not significantly improved by 2023. However, she acknowledged a modest breakthrough at the local government level with the election of Inna Galadima as the first female local government chairperson in Jere LGA in 2023.
She outlined the current picture of women in governance in Borno, noting that no woman has ever been elected to the Senate from the state. While two women currently serve as commissioners and several others occupy advisory and special assistant roles, there are no female permanent secretaries.
“At the national level, Borno women are represented by a handful of appointees, including Asabe Vilita Bashir as Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development and Hon. Dr. Salma Anas Ibrahim as Special Adviser on Health to the President,” she said.
Prof. Donli attributed the low representation of women largely to patriarchy and deeply entrenched cultural and religious norms. She described Borno, like most northern states, as “highly conservative and patriarchal,” where leadership is widely perceived as a male preserve.
“When people think of a leader, they think of a man. This patriarchal mindset and the toxic masculinity that characterises political affairs discourage women from participating equally,” she said.
She added that female politicians are often treated as anomalies and subjected to cultural and religious hostility, citing instances where women candidates faced public opposition from clerics and opinion leaders. According to her, such biases are frequently amplified on social media, broadcast platforms and even during religious gatherings.
Other barriers, she said, include limited access to funding, political networks and mentorship, as well as the challenge of balancing public life with family responsibilities.
Prof. Donli also criticised what she described as Nigeria’s “late-night politics,” where key party decisions are taken at hours that effectively exclude many women from participating. She further pointed to the increasing monetisation of politics as a major obstacle.
“More and more money is needed to participate in politics. Nigerian politics is capital intensive, and this politics of money works against women, especially in the absence of godmotherism to sponsor female candidates,” she said.
She also faulted weak internal party democracy, noting that candidates are often “selected rather than elected,” with nominations going to those who can afford to spend heavily. This, she said, has created a “cash-and-carry” culture within party systems, most of which lack clear and enforceable policies to promote women’s inclusion.
Prof. Donli lamented poor implementation of international and regional frameworks such as CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals, warning that harmful social norms, gender-based violence and negative media stereotypes continue to undermine women’s political rights.
She concluded by raising concerns over the growing trend of online abuse targeted at women in politics, including threats of death, rape and physical violence, stressing that such intimidation further discourages women from seeking public office.
“These barriers, combined with party resistance to women’s leadership and winner-takes-all electoral systems, make it extremely difficult for women to compete on equal footing with men,” she said.
