The development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) is hosting a one-day event in Abuja to launch a research report titled “Digital Threats to Women in Politics in Nigeria: Experiences of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TF-GBV) and Political Parties’ Responses.”
The event brings together policymakers, political parties, civil society organisations, the media, and development partners to share key findings on technology-facilitated gender-based violence in Nigerian politics and mobilise stakeholders to implement actionable recommendations.
dRPC led the research under the Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms (ALIGN) platform, with funding from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).
The report shows how digital spaces are increasingly used to silence and intimidate women in Nigerian politics. It also highlights how social and gender norms shape political parties’ responses to rising online abuse, such as harassment, cyberstalking, doxxing, and other forms of digital attacks targeting women seeking or holding elective positions.
The project documents real experiences of technology-facilitated gender-based violence and examines how political parties react to such incidents.
Organisers said it aims to generate evidence-based recommendations to help political parties, digital platforms, and regulators build safer and more inclusive political spaces for women.
Preliminary findings reveal that most political parties lack internal mechanisms to address TF-GBV. Many women also hesitate to report incidents due to stigma or fear of political repercussions, findings show.
The main objective of today’s programme is to present the key findings and mobilise policymakers, political parties, civil society groups, and the media to act on the recommendations.
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Panel: Digital Threats to Women in Politics in Nigeria
Panellists include Olayinka David-West, a professor at Lagos Business School; Adebowale Olorunmola of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy; Maryam Gwadabe of the Blue Sapphire Hub Foundation, and Chioma Ugwu from the Department of Political and Administrative Studies, University of Port Harcourt.
A fireside chat will also be held on “Political Parties and Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: From Silence to Action.” Moderated by Musa Umar, acting director of research at NIPSS, the session will feature Yusuf Dantalle, chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC); Mimidoo Achakpa, co-convener of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room; Mary Idele, national women leader of the All Progressives Congress; Chinyere Marvellous of the IPAC Women’s Wing; Lakunuya Bello, director of gender and inclusivity at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); and Ojogun Osifo, director-general of the National Population Commission.
Stay on this page as PREMIUM TIMES provides live updates from the event scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m.
