By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — Former Minister of Women Affairs, Iyom Josephine Anenih, has urged Nigerian women to stop waiting for political opportunities to be handed to them, insisting that political power is won through organisation, negotiation and persistence.

Anenih spoke on Wednesday at a roundtable discussion on “Advancing Women’s Visibility and Political Representation” organised by the 100 Women Lobby Group in Abuja, where she called on women to become more deliberate in seeking leadership positions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

She said decades of political participation by women had not translated into commensurate representation in decision-making spaces, despite their critical roles in election mobilisation and sustaining party structures.

“Nobody gives women political power. You have to fight for it. You have to take it, grab it, and run with it,” Anenih said.

The former minister, who chairs the Board of Trustees of the 100 Women Lobby Group, said her 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.

Anenih noted that women had consistently supported political parties through campaigns and grassroots mobilisation but were often excluded when leadership positions and appointments were being shared after elections.

“Carry your chair into the room if necessary. You have to claim your place at the table,” she urged.

She 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.

Speaking on challenges confronting female politicians, 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.

“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 urged political parties to strengthen internal structures, provide continuous training for women and begin mentoring female aspirants long before election seasons.

Onibon 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 said.

Representing the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, 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 said 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.

Also speaking, 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, said women must translate their numerical strength in political mobilisation into actual influence within party structures.

“Participation without influence and representation is not enough,” she said.

In her keynote presentation, Mrs Adenike Abdulrahman said women had demonstrated strong political participation but remained largely absent from positions where critical decisions were made.

“Participation without leadership is exploitation,” she said.

She called on political parties to implement the 35 per cent affirmative action principle, establish funding support for credible female candidates, protect women from political violence and intimidation, and move women beyond traditional party positions into strategic leadership roles.

Abdulrahman also urged the media to expand coverage of female politicians beyond gender-related issues, noting that women should contribute to discussions on the economy, security and national development.

“Nigeria does not have a women problem. Nigeria has a leadership deficit, and women are part of the solution,” she said.

She further advocated the passage of the Reserved Seats Bill to improve women’s representation and encouraged women in leadership positions to mentor younger aspirants.

The roundtable ended with a call on political parties, government institutions, civil society groups, development partners and the media to support reforms that would enable greater participation of women in Nigeria’s political leadership ahead of the 2027 elections.