A groundbreaking study has revealed that technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-GBV) has become a pervasive and systematic tool to intimidate and exclude women from political life in Nigeria, creating a formidable new barrier to gender equality in governance.
The research, titled “Digital Threats to Women in Politics in Nigeria,” was presented to the public on Friday, 28th November 2025. It detailed how digital platforms like social media and private messaging apps are being weaponized to target female politicians with sexist slurs, rape threats, doxxing, and coordinated smear campaigns.
Conducted by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) under the ALIGN platform with funding from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the report identified a stark accountability gap, finding that political parties, the key institutions responsible for safeguarding participation are largely complicit and failing to address the threat.
A Coordinated Political Strategy
The violence is not random but follows a predictable pattern tied to Nigeria’s political calendar, spiking during primaries, elections campaigns, and general elections. The study, which analyzed over 140,000 posts on X (formerly Twitter) from 2022 to 2025, found that abuse reached its peak when women gained political visibility.
“There is a clear “visibility penalty” for women politicians,” the report stated. The analysis showed that attacks follow a misogynistic script, shifting from questioning competence before elections to deploying gender stereotypes and moral attacks on sexuality during and after polls.
Perpetrators frequently weaponize patriarchal norms, attacking women’s appearance, competency, and morality. The report noted that terms like “ashawo” (which means illicit sexual engagements) dominated abusive mentions. These attacks are often amplified by pseudonymous accounts and party loyalists.
One of the report’s most damning conclusions is the role of political parties. It found that parties do not treat TF-GBV as a serious gendered harm, instead dismissing it as inevitable “rough politics.”
“Women’s underrepresentation in politics is one of the most persistent democratic deficits globally. Yet most political parties in Nigeria do not sufficiently address TF-GBV, let alone strive to prevent it.”
A review of the constitutions of Nigeria’s 19 political parties found that none explicitly address TF-GBV. The report argued that this normalization of violence underscored its disproportionate impact on women, entrenching the country’s low female parliamentary representation, which stands at just 4.5 per cent.
Intersectional Impact, Real-World Consequences
The threat is not felt equally. The study underlined the intersectional nature of the abuse, where factors like age, ethnicity, and marital status further compounded the attacks. Younger women face sextortion and gatekeeping, mid-career women are stalked and smeared, with cultural stereotypes fueling discrimination.
The consequences extend far beyond the digital realm. Women interviewed for the study reported severe emotional distress, reputational damage, family pressure, and financial costs from increased security and legal fees. In some cases, the abuse led women to withdraw from political contests or leave politics entirely.
Systemic Reform, the Way Forward
The report concluded with urgent recommendations for preventive reforms. It called on political parties to embed explicit TF-GBV clauses in their constitutions and codes of conduct, establish formal reporting mechanisms, and sanction perpetrators.
For long-term change, the study recommended amendments to legal frameworks to fully recognize TF-GBV, stronger safeguards from social media companies, and for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to integrate its findings into the ongoing review of the National Gender Policy.
Without decisive action, the study warned, the digital arena will continue to be a hostile frontier that systematically silences women, while undermining Nigerian democracy.
dRPC, What?
The Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) is a leading Nigerian non-profit organization committed to gender developmental progress through research since 1993. It advances development through civil society collaborations with a cross-cutting focus on gender.
The dRPC is renowned for its primary research on issues affecting women and girls, generating evidence for advocacy and policy reform. For three decades, it has strengthened governance and gender equality by building the capacity of hundreds of civil society organizations, particularly women-led groups and government agencies.
With a strong commitment to gender equality, good governance, and development, dRPC has played a pivotal role in shaping the discourse on development issues in Nigeria and has consistently worked to enhance the well-being and opportunities of marginalised communities.