MOTIVES AND DIMENSIONS OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE APC AND PDP IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA

This paper responds to three interrelated gaps in the literature: the scarcity of comparative studies that analyse how the PDP and APC respectively perpetrate or enable gendered political violence at the sub-national level; the limited empirical unpacking of motive versus modality in women-targeted political aggression; and the need for regionally specific analysis that links macro-party strategies to micro-level experiences in North-central Nigeria. To address these gaps, the study undertakes a comparative analysis of party-linked incidents from 2019–2024 in North-central states, combining content analysis of media and party statements, interviews with key informants and event-mapping of reported incidents. The study finds that violence against women in politics in North Central Nigeria is systematic, gendered, and strategically deployed, particularly during elections and other critical political moments. This is carried out in order to silence, intimidate, and exclude women from political participation. Allegations in the studied area more frequently implicated the All Progressives Congress (APC) than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), especially where the APC held ruling-party dominance, with cases such as those involving Salome AchejuhAbuh and Natasha Akpoti illustrating the intersection of gendered violence and incumbency power. Overall, the research concludes that such violence is reinforced by patriarchal norms and weak institutional accountability, requiring both electoral reforms and deeper structural transformation to safeguard women’s political rights It recommends that legal enforcement agencies should be strengthened while ensuring independent, impartial prosecution of offenders. Political parties, particularly the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Partymust adopt clear internal sanctions against members involved in violence and explicitly prohibit gender-based political intimidation.