Zainab Ibrahim, the Deputy National Woman Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has declared that the adoption of the twinning formula is the fastest and most effective route to increasing women’s participation in politics in Nigeria.
She explained that the winning formula, a policy used in some countries to ensure that deputy positions such as vice presidents, deputy governors, and vice chairpersons are mandatorily occupied by women, remains the “lowest hanging fruit” for political inclusion.
Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, Ibrahim said if the APC had embraced the model, Nigeria would already have 24 female deputy governors across the States under its control.
She said, “Aside from the special seat advocacy that we are undertaking, we are also strongly advocating for winning.
“The winning does not require any National Assembly legislation. It’s simply a party policy. If APC, which controls 24 States, adopts it, we would have 24 women deputy governors today.”
Ibrahim traced her inspiration to the Gambia, where the ruling party adopted the model, making it compulsory for all deputy governors to be women.
She added that several African countries, including Namibia and Rwanda, had attained 50% women representation through the same policy.
She cited the example of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who ensured that all local government vice chairpersons in the State were women as proof that the model is workable in Nigeria.
The APC deputy woman leader stressed that women would henceforth rally support for governors and leaders who make the commitment to run with female deputies.
“Every governor that assures us his deputy will be a woman, every local government chairman who makes the same pledge, we will give him our 100% support,” she said.
While acknowledging ongoing advocacy for constitutionally backed special seats for women in the legislature, Ibrahim insisted that the twinning formula can deliver quicker results because it is entirely within the power of political parties to adopt.
She expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would embrace the model, noting that such a decision would galvanise unprecedented support from Nigerian women.
Beyond her role in APC, Ibrahim said she is also pushing for the agenda at a national level as the Deputy National Secretary of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), where she heads the Women Directorate.
According to her, the directorate works with national women leaders across the 19 registered political parties, cascaded down to state, local government, and ward structures, in order to push for inclusion across board.
“My responsibility is not only to APC women, but to every female member across political parties in Nigeria. Together, we are working hand-in-hand to ensure that the twinning formula and broader inclusion become a reality,” she said.
