Young Nigerians from the South South, South East and South West zones have committed to deploying youth led social media advocacy campaigns to promote women’s political participation ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 electoral cycle.

The commitment was contained in a communiqué issued on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at the close of a three day hybrid training held in Rivers State from August 11 to 13.

The training, titled “Youth led Social Media Advocacy for Women’s Political Participation,” was convened by FactCheck Africa under the EPSG Project, Activity 3.1.5a(3)iii, Thematic Area 1, with programme implementation and coordination by FIAP.

The project received support from the European Union, German Cooperation, Denmark, ECOWAS and FIAP.

The Southern cohort, comprising young advocates drawn from states across the three southern geopolitical zones, said the training provided an opportunity to examine the political, social and digital barriers affecting women’s participation in Nigeria’s democratic process.

According to the communiqué obtained by PulseNets, the participants said they left the gathering with a shared understanding of the political environment in which the next chapter of Nigerian democracy would be contested.

The participants noted that Nigerian women account for nearly half of the electorate but occupy less than five per cent of elected political offices.

They described the disparity as a structural problem that requires direct advocacy rather than being treated as an incidental feature of Nigeria’s political system.

The youth advocates also identified low youth voter turnout as another major concern, noting that young Nigerians constitute the largest single voter cohort, while youth participation in the 2023 elections fell to a 44 year low.

They described the situation as a participation paradox in which young people represent a significant proportion of the electorate but have comparatively limited electoral impact.

The participants said addressing that gap must become both a generational responsibility and a major focus of youth led advocacy ahead of the 2027 elections.

The communiqué further highlighted online harassment of women in political life as a form of political exclusion.

The advocates argued that harassment should not be regarded as an unavoidable cost of women’s participation in politics, but rather as a mechanism capable of suppressing participation.

They said identifying, documenting and responding to online harassment must therefore form part of advocacy campaigns aimed at increasing women’s political participation.

The participants also rejected the argument that effective feminist advocacy requires substantial financial resources.

According to them, many of the tools used during the training are free and accessible to Nigerians with smartphones.

They therefore concluded that coordination, rather than the availability of financial resources, remains a major barrier to effective feminist advocacy online.

Youth advocates develop campaign strategies

Over the three days, the participants did more than receive training, as they developed practical advocacy materials and campaign strategies designed for deployment beyond the training period.

The cohort adapted the Content Calendar Template for Feminist Campaigns to individual four week campaign plans, with each participant expected to deploy their campaign within 14 days of completing the training.

They also developed between three and five message pillars for their individual and coalition campaigns, with the messages grounded in the gender and political realities of Nigeria’s Southern zones.

Platform specific content was also produced for Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn.

The participants completed a Safety Pre flight Checklist and prepared rapid response templates designed to guide their reactions to anticipated online harassment scenarios.

They also established cross state peer accountability partnerships intended to sustain collaboration beyond the three day training.

A major shared advocacy concept adopted by the cohort was the “Half the Room” framing.

The participants said the framing would serve as a common advocacy asset across their respective campaigns and reinforce the argument that women’s political participation is not a niche concern but an issue affecting the majority of society.

14 day campaign commitment

As part of their commitments for Nigeria’s 2027 electoral cycle, the participants agreed that each member of the cohort would launch a no cost social media advocacy campaign focused on women’s political participation within 14 days of the training.

They also committed to maintaining monthly content calendars aligned with their campaign message pillars throughout the 2027 electoral cycle.

The Feminist Content Calendar Template, according to the communiqué, will be used as a living document to guide campaign planning and content production.

The youth advocates further pledged to apply safe campaigning protocols to their advocacy activities.

These include conducting a safety pre flight assessment before campaign launches, preparing approved response templates and providing mutual support among members of the cohort when harassment occurs.

The participants also committed to using their social media platforms to speak against voter apathy, with particular attention to young people and women within their communities.

They agreed to publish quarterly reports covering campaign progress, reach, engagement and behaviour change indicators, which will be shared with members of the cohort and FactCheck Africa.

Calls to Nigerian political stakeholders

Beyond their individual commitments, the Southern cohort called on other stakeholders to take concrete steps towards improving women’s political participation in Nigeria.

The participants urged young Nigerians across the Southern zones to join their advocacy efforts, describing the campaigns as open coalitions where individuals can contribute through social media shares, allied posts and community conversations.

They called on Nigerian women’s organisations to partner with the emerging youth advocacy movement while recognising the decades of work already undertaken by women’s rights organisations.

The participants said they were seeking partnership rather than replacement and asked women’s organisations to guide them towards the issues considered most consequential ahead of the 2027 elections.

Political parties across the ideological spectrum were also urged to expand women’s candidacy and move beyond symbolic representation.

The youth advocates called for substantive nomination of women to winnable seats, arguing that the 2027 electoral cycle would provide an opportunity to address the gap between the demographic composition of Nigeria’s electorate and the composition of political leadership.

The cohort also called on social media platforms operating in Nigeria to take stronger action against gender based harassment that suppresses women’s political participation.

They urged the platforms to enforce their community standards, provide language appropriate moderation and ensure that Nigerian users receive adequate attention in the enforcement of online safety policies.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and civic education agencies were also asked to improve accessibility to voter registration and Permanent Voter’s Card collection, particularly in ways that address logistical barriers disproportionately affecting young women.

The participants equally appealed to EPSG partners and FIAP to maintain support for youth led feminist advocacy as a strategic priority through the 2027 electoral cycle.

Participants acknowledge organisers and partners

The Southern cohort expressed appreciation to FactCheck Africa for convening and facilitating the training and to FIAP for programme implementation and coordination.

They also acknowledged the support of the European Union, German Cooperation, Denmark and ECOWAS towards the EPSG Project.

The participants praised the facilitators whose expertise in advocacy design, feminist campaigning, digital safety and platform strategy contributed to the development of the cohort’s advocacy work.

The communiqué was endorsed on August 13, 2026, by participants from the Southern, Rivers cohort.

Among those listed as participants were Sunday Timothy Taiwo of Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative, Oyo State; Khadijat Abiodun Arowooye of Justice Now Foundation, Ogun State; Zainab O Fakunle of Fresh FM, Lagos State; Favour Chiamaka Iwuchukwu of Amaval Bakes and Cakes, Rivers State; Ediomi Abasi Tiffany Umoh of African Child Leadership Foundation, Rivers State; Precious Chisoma Chinda of Women Power Network, Rivers State; Ciara Linda Prince of WomaIncluded Eco Dev Foundation, Rivers State; Ovieyi Mekieoniso Chinedu Obioha of AgroNext Agriculture Development Initiative and SuperWoman Organisation, Rivers State; and Serena Hudson Francis of Rivers State.

Others include Deborah Augustine of Rosewalk Studios, Rivers State; John Best Uche of TSV Africa, Rivers State; Etimbuk Emmanson Christian of T30 Energies, Rivers State; Victor Udemezue Ehiogu of Mr Prof Entertainment Hub Ltd., Rivers State; Precious Chinemerem Chibuzor of Female Advocate, Abia State; Vivian Festus Isong of Nigerian Youth Parliament, Akwa Ibom State; Blessing Etoma Ejue of The Grit Initiative, Cross River State; and Gracious Benedict Kekung of Gracious Digital Growth Agency, Cross River State.

Also listed were Joy Godfrey Ubong of Youth for Change and Social Life Development Foundation, Akwa Ibom State; Peace Opara Chiwendu of Cyclone of Change, Imo State; Onyinyechi Veronica Hycienth of Wisel Forum for Youth and Women Initiatives, Imo State; Chiamaka Frances Maduka of The Big Sister Foundation, Enugu State; Aituaje Tonta Washington of ANCHORROOM, Edo State; Justina Ifunanya Amano of Ebonyi State Gender Based Violence Taskforce, Ebonyi State; Judith Orighomisan Atsedosan of JGLANCE SURRISEHUB, Delta State; Chisom Doris Muoma of LightHerUp Initiative, Anambra State; Victor Kosisochukwu Maduka of SHUGA WRITES, Delta State; and Vivian Amara Onyia, Coordinator of Lioness Hub, Anambra State.

The list further includes Rapheal Biobarakuma Francis of the Francis Biobarakuma Foundation (FBF), Bayelsa State, Victoria Berena of BACK Creative Connect Initiative, Bayelsa State; Iheanyichukwu Asiegbu of Women Information Network (WINET), Enugu State; and Uchechi Sandra Amano of Ebonyi State Gender Based Violence Taskforce, Ebonyi State.

The communiqué stated that the document would be circulated among EPSG partners, the wider youth advocacy community and Nigerian civil society, while also being archived on the ElectPeace platform.

It added that the visibility of the European Union, German Cooperation, Denmark, ECOWAS and FIAP would be maintained across associated materials.

The commitments by the Southern cohort come as youth advocates increasingly turn to social media advocacy, digital safety and coordinated online campaigns as tools for addressing voter apathy, misinformation, harassment and the underrepresentation of women in Nigerian politics ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.