Written by Favour Imhomoh.
“Men have always dominated the Nigerian political [scene]. The attempt by women to penetrate this male domain has yielded [a] minimum success as a result of the unwritten laws which favour men over women as leaders.” (Okoh in Odionye, 2016). Nigeria gained its independence on October 1st, 1960.
During the decolonization process, the former colonial rulers set up a parliamentary democracy in Nigeria. After decades of political insurgence in the country, in 1999, Nigeria became a federal regime with a presidential system. In the current democratic regime in Nigeria, between 1999 and 2017, all Nigerian Presidents have been male.
Additionally, between 1999 and 2015, in the House of Representatives, women only occupied between 12-26 seats out of 360 seats. In the Senate, with 109 seats, women held only 3-8 seats. The lack of representation of women in Nigerian politics is due to many reasons such as elitism, in which the dominant class or groups of political elites play a role in how the political dynamics operate and who gets to participate.
Specifically, such elitism in Nigeria can be found in a practice known as Godfatherism. Godfathers are made up of “prominent members of the elite class” who influence politics by “[building] an Array of Loyalists around them and use their influence, which is often tied to monetary considerations, to manipulate the rest of society”. Godfathers can choose who they will financially and politically support and that is often men because men are perceived as natural leaders and women as ‘unworthy’ to be in political spaces. Without the financial means and support, only a few women can continue in elections and participation.
This ensures that the patriarchal idea that men are superior to women persists. Men are given better educational opportunities and are taught from an early age to aspire for jobs within the political sphere. On the other hand, women remain primarily limited to motherhood and homemaking. Lastly, gender-based violence influences the presence of women in Nigerian politics. The political violence that women encounter is exemplified by the cases of Dorothy Nyone, and Gbemisola Saraki, who have been met with threats of assassination and dissent for their political participation.
Additionally, there are women such as Suilat Adedeji and Kudirat Abiola, who were killed due to political violence. Such treatment of Nigerian women reflects that “in Nigeria, politics is presumed a man’s turf where no women needs apply”, because women are seen as “bodies out of place”. They are viewed as less capable and deserving to serve in the political sphere. These constraints have created conditions to push Nigerian women into performing what is expected of their gender.
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