Role of Major and Minor Parties in Female Candidacy Selection in Nigeria: A Study of Women’s Participation in the 2019 and 2023 General Elections

Despite numerous legal and policy frameworks designed to enhance gender inclusion, women's political participation in Nigeria remains notably limited. This comparative research explores how major and minor political parties influenced women's participation in electoral contests during the 2019 and 2023 general elections. The study adopted a qualitative content analysis approach, and data were analyzed using the simple percentage descriptive statistical method. Datasets and reports from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and relevant international organizations were extracted and used in the study. To achieve the aim of the study, political parties were categorized into two groups: major parties (All Progressives Congress [APC] and Peoples’ Democratic Party [PDP]) and minor parties (All other parties). Other secondary sources employed in the study include journal articles, newspapers, and books, while the Feminist Institutionalism (FI) theory served as the study’s theoretical framework. Research indicates that while major political parties offered few opportunities to female candidates, minor political parties were more accommodating. Further findings reveal that despite a general decrease in the number of female candidates presented by both major and minor parties in the 2023 election compared to 2019, electoral outcomes did not improve. The study suggests adopting a more inclusive process for party nominations, providing more institutional support to female candidates, implementing legal reforms to enforce gender quotas within political parties, and allocating reserved seats for women, among others. Enhancing women's inclusion in major political parties is crucial for increasing their participation and representation in governance.