How the Lagos APC Primaries Exposed the Gap Between Gender Policy and Political Reality
The All Progressives Congress built its 2027 narrative around inclusion. “Deliberate mobilization of women,” “35% affirmative action,” “discounted nomination fees,” and “reserved seats” are all in the party’s public messaging and founding documents. The test of any policy is what happens when power is actually being shared. In Lagos, the test just failed. Ninety-one aspirants contested the APC House of Representatives primaries in Lagos State on May 16, 2026. Twelve were women, making up 15.4% of the field. That figure was already below the party’s stated 35% affirmative action target before a single vote was cast. The outcome narrowed that gap to zero. Of the 12 female aspirants, only Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf of Alimosho was declared a winner, and her ticket remains contested. Lagos went into the primaries with one female House member, Kafilat Ogbara of Kosofe, and exited with none guaranteed. This was not a statistical accident. It was a structural outcome of how the party m...