The African Action Congress (AAC) has criticised what it terms sexist comments and coded attacks directed at Chioma Ifemeludike, the party’s governorship candidate in the November 8 Anambra election.
Ifemeludike, who will contest against candidates including incumbent governor Chukwuma Soludo, has faced online reactions since unveiling her campaign photos, with many comments focusing on her appearance rather than her political agenda.
In a statement on Wednesday, Femi Adeyeye, AAC’s national publicity secretary, said the party’s national working committee (NWC) observed that the discourse around Ifemeludike has been shaped more by her looks and choice of outfits than the substance of her policy proposals.
Adeyeye said the fixation on her appearance highlights the entrenched patriarchy still influencing Nigeria’s political landscape.
“Instead of engaging with her governance plans, some have chosen to police her appearance,” he said, describing the remarks as predictable but unacceptable within the broader societal context.
He referenced previous incidents of sexism in Nigerian politics, including the treatment of Bianca Ojukwu during her ministerial screening and the experiences of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“Unlike conventional parties, we don’t ‘Akpabio’ women in our party,” Adeyeye added, condemning what he called the derogatory treatment of women in mainstream politics.
Adeyeye said female politicians often face double standards, having to demonstrate competence while navigating society’s shifting expectations of acceptable femininity. He urged voters to reject language and behaviour that belittles women in leadership.
“Reducing a female candidate to her body or clothing silences her vision and reinforces the idea that women’s worth is tied to appearance, not ability,” he said. “The future we want is one where leaders are judged by their policies and work ethic, not their looks or wardrobe. Supporting women in politics is not charity; it is democracy in its truest form.”
He added that such scrutiny is not only unjust but distracts from the substantive issues that should define political discourse.
AAC’s 2023 presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, also spoke out in defence of Ifemeludike, calling the attacks “profoundly disappointing”.
“It is profoundly disappointing that chauvinists are disparaging the AAC gubernatorial candidate in Anambra state, Chioma Grace Ifemeludike who is an exemplary young woman whose groundbreaking ideas and remarkable intelligence they cannot equal, and are instead directing their criticisms at her appearance rather than engaging with the content of her character and intellectual capabilities,” Sowore wrote on X.
He said Ifemeludike’s ideas and intellect should be at the centre of public debate, not her physical appearance.