Discover Our Work

Why It Matters

Nigeria ranks among the lowest in Africa for women’s parliamentary representation. Without women at the decision-making table, laws, budgets and policies continue to overlook the realities of more than half the population.

What We’re Up Against

• · Prohibitive nomination and expression-of-interest fees
• · Intra-party marginalisation and late-night primaries
• · Cultural and religious resistance to women in leadership
• · Lack of access to campaign finance and networks

What We’re Doing

• · Training and mentoring aspiring women candidates
• · Advocating for reduced nomination fees for women
• · Pushing for the Special Seats Bill and 35% affirmative action
• · Building ward-to-ward leadership pipelines

Why It Matters

When votes are bought, accountability dies. Transactional voting entrenches bad governance and disproportionately silences women, who often have less access to campaign war chests.

What We’re Up Against

• · Widespread poverty and “stomach infrastructure” culture
• · Weak enforcement of campaign finance laws
• · Normalisation of vote-buying as “support”

What We’re Doing

• · Mass voter education against vote-selling
• · Community dialogues on the cost of purchased votes
• · Partnering with CSOs on electoral integrity campaigns

Why It Matters

Violence and intimidation keep women away from the polls as voters and as candidates. A climate of fear is incompatible with free and fair elections.

What We’re Up Against

• · Thuggery and ballot snatching
• · Targeted intimidation of female candidates and voters
• · Weak rapid-response and prosecution mechanisms

What We’re Doing

• · Election-day monitoring and documentation networks
• · Voter protection hotlines and rapid response
• · Advocacy for stronger security and accountability

Why It Matters

Technology can strengthen electoral integrity, but only when devices work and results are transmitted transparently. Failures erode public trust.

What We’re Up Against

• · Device malfunction and poor network coverage
• · Delayed or missing uploads to IReV
• · Limited voter understanding of the technology

What We’re Doing

• · Civic education on BVAS and IReV processes
• · Advocacy for mandatory electronic transmission
• · Independent observation and public reporting

Why It Matters

Registration is the gateway to political participation. Women, youth, persons with disabilities and rural communities are still under-represented on the voter roll.

What We’re Up Against

• · Limited registration centres and short windows
• · Distance and cost barriers for rural women
• · Low awareness of continuous registration

What We’re Doing

• · Ward-level mobilisation for continuous registration
• · Targeted drives for women and first-time voters
• · Partnerships with INEC and community leaders

Why It Matters

Millions of registered voters never collect their Permanent Voter Cards. Uncollected PVCs translate directly into silenced voices, especially among women.

What We’re Up Against

• · Poor communication on collection schedules
• · Long distances to collection points
• · Lost or misplaced cards and data errors

What We’re Doing

• · Community PVC collection awareness campaigns
• · Support for women to locate and collect cards
• · Advocacy for decentralised collection points

Why It Matters

Strong electoral laws are the backbone of credible elections. Gaps in the Electoral Act, especially around electronic transmission, leave room for manipulation and protracted litigation.

What We’re Up Against

• · Ambiguity around mandatory electronic transmission
• · Judicial interventions that undermine INEC processes
• · Slow legislative response to identified gaps

What We’re Doing

• · Policy advocacy for clearer electronic transmission rules
• · Coalition-building with CSOs and development partners
• · Public education on electoral legal frameworks

Why It Matters

Voluntary commitments have failed. Binding quotas and reserved seats are proven tools that have rapidly increased women’s representation in other African countries.

What We’re Up Against

• · Resistance to reserved seats in the National Assembly
• · Weak enforcement of party-level gender policies
• · Misconceptions that quotas undermine merit

What We’re Doing

• · Leading advocacy for the Special Seats Bill
• · Engaging parties on internal gender quotas
• · Public campaigns reframing affirmative action as justice

Why It Matters

Informed citizens are the foundation of democracy. Many women and young people still lack practical knowledge of registration, voting procedures, and how to demand accountability.

What We’re Up Against

• · Low civic literacy in rural and peri-urban areas
• · Misinformation and political apathy
• · Limited sustained civic education programmes

What We’re Doing

• · Establishing Electoral Literacy Clubs at community level
• · Training women and youth as civic educators
• · Simplified guides on voting, rights and responsibilities