Margaret Apine1& Angela Olofu Adeoye2
1Department of Political Science, Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria
2Center for Conflict Management and Peace Studies, University of Jos-Nigeria
Corresponding Author’s E-mail: margeretapine@yahoo.co.uk
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to unravel through desktop review and theoretical expositions the efforts of a past administration aimed at mainstreaming women into the political sphere in Nigeria. This is with the view to advance our understanding of the efforts made by the Buhari’s Administration to address the” supply-side’’ issue which is a key challenge that accounts for women’s under-representation in Nigerian politics. Whereas past administrations and non-profit organizations have attempted to build women’s political careers through funding and trainings which may bring women into the main pipeline for candidacy, as the proponents of the pipeline claim posits, no significant changes have been recorded. This paper uses a comparative method between the 2007 experiences and that of 2023 while anchoring it in the Pipeline for candidacy theory as our framework of analyses. Results from the study, suggest that by giving waivers for nomination forms to women, the former president did not only address the issue of lack of funds for most female aspirants within the All-Progressives Congress (APC), but brought more women into mainstream politicking. There is therefore the likelihood of having more women vying for political positions in the future, like what happened in 2007 when free nomination forms were give women in some political parties in the country. The paper recommends that subsequently, our leaders should follow suite as part of their efforts to encourage potential female aspirants to participate in politics. There is also the need for a review of the existing laws by the National Assembly in a way that would make it compulsory for political parties to nominate female candidates for elective and appointive positions.
FULL Paper