Two hundred and forty-one candidates are lining up to compete for just 36 elective positions in Cross River State ahead of the 2027 elections. That is a tight race by any measure, with each seat drawing an average of nearly seven contenders.
Of the 241 candidates declared so far, 198 are men, making up 82.2 per cent of the field. Women account for 43 candidacies, which is 17.8 per cent of the total.
The gender gap in that number is hard to ignore. With female candidates representing less than one in five of the total, the conversation around women's political participation in Cross River is far from over. Whether that figure shifts before 2027 is the question worth watching.
Originally published by Premium Times.