Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A former Minister of Women Affairs, Iyom Josephine Anenih, has issued a powerful and urgent call to Nigerian women, urging them to abandon the passive expectation of being handed political opportunities and instead actively fight for power through organisation, negotiation, and persistence ahead of the 2027 general elections. Anenih made the declaration on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, during a roundtable discussion on “Advancing Women’s Visibility and Political Representation,” organised by the 100 Women Lobby Group in Abuja. The former minister, who chairs the Board of Trustees of the group, did not mince words in her assessment of the current state of women's political participation in Nigeria. "Nobody gives women political power. You have to fight for it. You have to take it, grab it, and run with it," she declared, according to multiple news reports.
Anenih, a veteran politician and gender advocate who served as Nigeria's Minister of Women Affairs from 2010, reflected on decades of political participation by women that had not translated into commensurate representation in decision-making spaces, despite their critical roles in election mobilisation and sustaining party structures. She said her own decision to join partisan politics was driven by the realisation that meaningful change could only happen from within political structures. "I realised that you cannot change anything unless you are inside the room. If you are not in the room, you cannot influence decisions," she said. She further advised women leaders to build alliances, lobby strategically, and maintain strong connections with grassroots women while working with civil society organisations and the media to demand greater inclusion. In a direct and stirring appeal, she urged women to physically claim their space at the table. "Carry your chair into the room if necessary. You have to claim your place at the table," she declared.
The roundtable discussion, which brought together political leaders, gender advocates, and civil society representatives, came amid growing concerns over the persistent underrepresentation of women in Nigeria's political landscape. Despite constituting nearly half of the country's population, women hold less than four per cent of legislative seats in some states, and the 10th National Assembly inaugurated in 2023 has no female representation in several state legislatures. The proposed Reserved Seats for Women Bill, which seeks to create additional, exclusive seats for female candidates in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, has remained at the committee stage in the National Assembly despite renewed advocacy efforts and widespread support from women's groups.
Speaking at the event, the National Coordinator of the 100 Women Lobby Group, Dr Felicia Onibon, said sustainable investment in leadership development and mentorship remained crucial to improving women's political representation. She urged political parties to strengthen internal structures, provide continuous training for women, and begin mentoring female aspirants long before election seasons. "Real campaigns require mentorship and support so that a woman's candidacy is not determined by whether her grandfather had enough money to give to leaders in her community," Onibon said. She also called on women to remain engaged after elections by monitoring electoral outcomes and holding political parties accountable for their commitments. "None of this is charity. We are not begging for special treatment in this process," she declared.
Representing the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, the Director of Women Development at the ministry, Mrs Blessing Anunike, reaffirmed the Federal Government's commitment to increasing women's participation in governance. "Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable development without the meaningful participation of women in decision-making," she said. Anunike noted that the ministry would continue to work with political parties, civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions, and development partners to address barriers limiting women's participation in leadership. The President of the National Women Leaders Forum of Political Parties in Nigeria and National Women Leader of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Mrs Anita Zugwai-Chukwu, also stressed that women must translate their numerical strength in political mobilisation into actual influence within party structures. "Participation without influence and representation is not enough," she warned.
In her keynote presentation, Mrs Adenike Abdulrahman noted that women had demonstrated strong political participation but remained largely absent from positions where critical decisions were made. "Participation without leadership is exploitation," she said, calling on political parties to implement the 35 per cent affirmative action policy and create more pathways for women to ascend to leadership positions. Anenih's call to action resonated with the gathering, as she concluded that women must take the initiative to contest for positions rather than expecting male-dominated political structures to offer them opportunities. Her message was unambiguous: political power is not given; it is taken, and the time for women to seize it is now. As the 2027 elections draw nearer, the challenge for Nigerian women is clear—they must organise, negotiate, and persist until they claim their rightful place at the table of power.
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