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Special Report: Women’s Political Participation in Nigeria Hits an Alarming Low Amid Systemic Marginalization

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa, Nigerian Tracker Correspondent

The steady decline of women’s representation in Nigeria’s political landscape has reached a critical point, raising concerns over systemic marginalization and gender disparity in governance.

An analysis of the 2023 general elections reveals a stark underrepresentation of women in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Only four women secured senatorial seats out of 109, while just 15 were elected to the House of Representatives out of 360.

The four female senators include:

Senator Ireti Heebah Kingibe (Labour Party, FCT)

Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo (Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers West)

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Peoples Democratic Party, Kogi Central)

Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule (All Progressives Congress, Lagos West)

Notably, the number only rose to four after a court ruling reinstated Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had initially been excluded. This marks a decline from the 9th Assembly, where eight women held senatorial seats—a reduction of four.

No Female Governors, Limited Executive Presence

The situation is even more dire in the executive branch, where no woman currently serves as governor. The closest attempt was in Adamawa State, where Aishatu Binani’s bid was ultimately unsuccessful. While women occasionally feature in ministerial appointments, their presence remains minimal compared to their male counterparts.

Experts Weigh In on the Crisis

Public affairs analyst Dr. Muttaqa Yushau Abdulrauf attributes the decline to multiple factors, including financial barriers and entrenched patriarchal norms.

“It is quite unfortunate that women, who constitute a significant portion of voters and the general population, remain grossly underrepresented in elected offices,” he said. “This has been the trend since 1999.”

He identified two key obstacles:

Financial Constraints – Many women cannot afford the high cost of nomination forms for political offices.

Cultural Bias – Deep-seated patriarchy perpetuates the notion that women are unfit for leadership roles.

Dr. Rofiat Adedokun Highlights Gender Marginalization Beyond Politics

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Dr. Rofiat Adedokun, a lecturer in the Department of Banking and Finance at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has stated that women face marginalization not only in politics but across nearly all aspects of society.

She emphasized that gender stereotypes persist in workplaces worldwide, citing the common perception that secretarial roles are exclusively for women. “This should not be the case,” she asserted.

“Both men and women should be given equal opportunities for the sake of equity. That is how it ought to be,” Dr. Adedokun added.

A Call for Affirmative Action

To reverse the trend, Dr. Abdulrauf advocates for reserved seats for women in political parties. “An affirmative action mandating a quota for women in party candidacies would significantly boost their participation,” he emphasized.

On the other hand, Dr. Rofiat was asked about potential solutions, she identified sensitization as the most effective approach to combat such marginalization, particularly from the perspective of women.

Additionally, she also advocated for affirmative measures, such as reserving seats for women in political contests. However, she cautioned, “The reservation of seats must not be limited to specific political offices, as that could lead to another form of stereotyping.”

Dr. Adedokun’s remarks underscore ongoing discussions about gender equality and the need for systemic change to ensure fair representation in all sectors.

Views From The Street Of Nigeria

On the street of Nigeria, Kaduna State, Zaria to be precise, more views concerning the subject matter were sought and the following are the responses gathered:

Fatima Tijani Bintu who is a final year student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, is of the same view that there has been an injustice concerning the marginalization of women in Nigerian politics. In her statement, she said, “the dominance of men over women in Nigerian politics is not necessarily a reflection of an inherent ability but rather as a result of a structural and systemic barriers that women face.”

“This opinion is largely supported by empirical evidence globally,” she asserted.

Responding to what could be the cause of such phenomenon, Fatima added that, “societal norms and stereotype are the major cause of such disturbing development.”

In her bid to proffer solutions to the end of the marginalization, she noted that quota system implementation and mentorship programs to giude and support aspiring female politicians are key.

But in a stark contrast to the views aforementioned, a National Youth Service Corp member, Rahmatullah Ahmad, opined that women should not lead. In her words, “women are inherently caregivers and not leaders.”

“Leadership is a very delicate responsibility that must not be merged with emotions–which women are known for,” she asserted.

Substantiating her view, she referenced the drama that ensued between the suspended Senator Natasha and the senate president Akpabio–noting that if she hadn’t been elected into the chambers, such allegation wouldn’t have come up in the first place.

However, as Nigeria’s political landscape remains overwhelmingly male-dominated, the question persists: Will concrete measures be taken to ensure gender equity, or will women’s representation continue to dwindle?

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President Tinubu Counters Police Academy in Kano, Establishes New Campus in Ogun

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new campus of the Police Academy in Erinja, Yewa South Local Government Area in Ogun State.

A statement by Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President,
Information & Strategy, says President Tinubu also approved a special take-off grant of N15billion for the college.

The President’s approval was in fulfilment of the provisions of the Nigeria Police Academy (Establishment) Act, 2021, particularly with respect to the expansion of the Police Academy based in Wudil, Kano state, into multiple campuses across the country.

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The intervention fund will be sourced from the TetFund 2026 allocation to finance priority infrastructure, academic facilities, student accommodation, and core training assets.

A high-level consultative meeting involving the Minister of Police Affairs, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Inspector-General of Police and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) recommended the siting of the new campus in Erinja.

The meeting considered student intake capacity, funding realities, academic quality assurance, and the long-term needs of the Nigerian Police Force, which is currently recruiting more men.

President Tinubu believes the expansion will strengthen institutional governance, modern policing education and national security.

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Retired Police Storm Villa Gate, Call Contributory Pension Scheme a ‘Killer Disease’

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Retired police personnel and their families, under the umbrella of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, on Monday blocked one of the gates of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in protest.

The retirees are demanding the removal of the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme, which they described as “fraudulent, illegal, inhumane and obnoxious.”

Protesters carried placards reading “End CPS,” “If military, DSS were removed from PENCOM, why not police?” while many were chanting, “Police dey work, PenCom dey chop.”

They said the protest was aimed at urging President Bola Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly on December 4, 2025, and transmitted to the Presidency on March 16, 2026.

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According to them, the bill, if signed into law, would exempt police personnel from what they called a “slavery and untimely death-inducing pension scheme.”

Speaking in a video of the protest posted by Channels Television, a retired ASP, Nurudeen Dahiru, said, “We are not begging anybody. We have come to fight for our rights. We have suffered.

“We are not here to fight anybody. We are just here to demand for our rights. We have served for 35 years.

“According to the Constitution of the country, when you serve your country for 35 years, you should go home and rest. But see us suffering now. We are not able to take care of our children.

“We have no food to eat. We are dying. Silent killing. So this contributory pension scheme is a killer disease. 35 years is not easy. We are not here to fight anybody.”

Another retired officer said, “We don’t have anything to train them. As I retired 20 years ago, how much are they paying me?

“It is 24,000 that I am paying you because I retired with the inspector. So they have to sign our bill and give us all our money.

“So that somebody can use it for something. You can buy a house. And then now we don’t have a house.

“How can an ASP, a DSP, a CP retire and they are paying him how much? No, no, no. Enough is enough. It is a do or die. Even if some people are killed today, others are coming.”

Speaking to reporters, the National Coordinator of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd), who led the protest, said the group was at the Villa to press for the President’s assent to the bill exiting the police from the CPS.

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Court Admits Nine Exhibits Against Malami and Family

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

A Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja and presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Monday, April 20, 2026 admitted nine exhibits against a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami.

The exhibits were presented before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in its ongoing trial of the former Minister and some family members.

The EFCC is prosecuting the defendants on an amended 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities to the tune of N8,713,923,759.49 (Eight Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirteen Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Nine Naira, Forty-Nine Kobo), contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The exhibits, which are documentary in nature, were tendered through the fourth prosecution witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, J. S. Okutepa, SAN, the witness told the court that, in the course of his official duties, he received correspondence from the EFCC requesting documents relating to several accounts linked to the defendants and associated entities.

“I work as a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, Maitama branch. My duty includes receiving correspondence from law enforcement agencies and responding accordingly,” he said.

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Bata further disclosed that the bank complied with EFCC’s requests by providing both soft and hard copies of documents relating to accounts belonging to the defendants and companies such as Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.

“My lord, the documents are nine,” he stated, confirming his ability to identify them when presented in court.

Upon application by Okutepa, the court admitted the documents, dated between July 19, 2024 and March 12, 2026, as Exhibits D1 to D9, despite an initial objection by defence counsel, J. B. Daudu, SAN, who noted that “the dates are almost all in March.”

Continuing his testimony under further examination by prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, the witness provided details of transactions contained in the exhibits.

He identified Exhibit D1 as containing account opening documents and statements for accounts belonging to Abubakar Malami and A.A. Malami & Co, including a naira account and a dollar account.

According to him, the statement of account for one of the accounts covered the period from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2023.

The witness confirmed that the accounts were active between 2015 and 2023, noting that “there were transfers within that period.”

He further revealed that total credits into one of the accounts stood at N383,637,21.55 between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2023, while total credits from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015 amounted to N560,506,465.12.

On debits, he stated that N384,322,120.85 was recorded between 2016 and 2023, while N571,891,174.08 was debited between 2012 and 2015.

Giving further breakdown of transactions, the witness told the court that on November 11, 2020, the account received N194,791,608.00 from New Horizons Limited, and on June 24, 2022, it received N622,500,000.00 from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.

He added that on July 1 and July 7, 2022, the account received N250 million each from Rayhaan Hotels Limited, while on December 22, 2022, there was an inflow of N500 million linked to Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.

Continuing in that format, the witness identified so many transactions running into billions.

Following the testimony, the defence counsel, J.B Daudu SAN sought an adjournment to enable him study the exhibits and prepare for cross-examination.

“My lord, we need time to go through the nine exhibits tendered,” Daudu said.

Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the matter till May 13, 2026, for continuation of trial.

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