Nigeria’s nascent democracy has its peculiarities. No president has been born after the country’s independence in 1960; no candidate from the northeast or southeast has been elected head of government; and no woman has ever been elected president, vice-president or state governor. The results of the 25 February polls have reinforced the lack of gender inclusivity, but state elections on 18 March provide an opportunity for redress.
The ‘status quo’
Only three women out of the 101 confirmed senators-elect are female, a reduction from the current crop of eight women, and two-thirds less than the high point of nine senators that was achieved in 2008. Similarly, there are only 13 confirmed women among the 327 confirmed House of Representatives races. This is the same number as in the current House, albeit with 33 races left to call, but falls short of the previous high of 25 women representatives in 2007. There is also a geographical division when it comes to women’s…
