From Senate to Assembly, female candidates emerge across major parties as gender battle takes centre stage
Women are making a fresh push for political relevance in Oyo State as candidates for the 2027 elections emerge across several political parties, but a review of the available candidate lists shows that men still overwhelmingly dominate the race.
The development has thrown a new gender question into the political contest in the Pacesetter state: are Oyo women finally breaking into the electoral mainstream, or are they still being given only a token presence on the ballot?
Available candidate lists from major political parties show women contesting for the Senate, House of Representatives and Oyo State House of Assembly, with some of the most prominent female candidates entering potentially decisive contests across the three senatorial districts.
One of the biggest stories is the emergence of Hannah Ogunesan as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Oyo North Senatorial District.
Ogunesan, a former Head of Service of Oyo State, is one of the most prominent women on the 2027 ballot and is expected to face a fiercely contested race in Oyo North.
Recent analysis of the senatorial contest described her as one of the few women to have been fielded for any of Oyo’s three senatorial seats in the post-1999 era.
Her candidacy has added an entirely different dimension to the Oyo North contest, particularly as she goes into a race that also features former House of Representatives member Shina Peller on the APM platform.
Women break into Senate race
Ogunesan is not alone at the senatorial level. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has fielded Mrs Tanimowo Modupe Grace for Oyo South Senatorial District, making her another major female contender for a seat in the National Assembly.
Tanimowo’s case is even peculiar, she has political top shots like Hon. Remi Oseni of APC and Hon. Stanley Olajide (Odidiomo) of APM to contend with for Oyo South Senatorial seat.
ADC announced Grace alongside Kamil Akinlabi Mudashiru for Oyo Central and Sule Kabiru Ayinde for Oyo North after its senatorial primaries.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s Oyo candidate list has also featured Bolanle Sarumi-Aliyu in the Oyo South senatorial race, while Iyabode Abdullahi was listed for Oyo North and Akinyode Olunloyo for Oyo Central in a separate PDP candidate presentation.
The conflicting PDP structures are important because the party has experienced an internal split over its 2027 political direction.
Consequently, voters and journalists will need to distinguish between party-announced candidates and candidates ultimately recognised by INEC.
House of Representatives: women make stronger showing
The picture becomes more interesting at the House of Representatives level.
APC’s list includes Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo for Ibadan North West/Ibadan South West and Tolulope Akande-Sadipe for Oluyole Federal Constituency.
Akande-Sadipe is already a familiar face in Oyo politics, serving her second term representing Oluyole in the House of Representatives and previously described herself as the only female member of the National Assembly representing Oyo State.
ADC has also produced Adekunle Ameerah Itunu for Ibadan North Federal Constituency in its announced House of Representatives lineup.
The PDP lists are even more notable for female participation. Its National Assembly candidates presented in June included Victoria Omolara Akinyemi for Akinyele/Lagelu, Rahmota Titilope Azeez for Atisbo/Saki East/Saki West, Abisola Salome Odeyemi for Egbeda/Ona-Ara, Akinseye Adejoke Adekanbi for Ibadan South-East/Ibadan North-East, Elizabeth Folashade Alao for Ido/Ibarapa East and Ajoke Kudirat Okanlawon for Ogbomoso North/Ogbomoso South/Oriire.
That represents a much broader female presence at the federal constituency level than has traditionally been seen in Oyo politics.
Assembly race tells another story
At the State House of Assembly level, women are also appearing in several constituencies.
The APC’s 2027 lineup includes Tolani Mary Adigun for Ibadan South West I, Faniyi Olayinka O. for Ibadan South West II and Funmilola Obisesan for Ona-Ara.
ADC’s list includes Ali Sekinat Adejumoke for Ibadan North I, Adenike Suliat Yusuf for Ido, Dolapo Adelana for Oluyole, Adeyinka Kafayat Ronke for Oyo East/Oyo West and Muinat Badmus for Ibarapa East/Central.
PDP has also listed women among its Assembly candidates, including Shukurat Aduke Amusat for Lagelu, Grace Ajoke Abisoye for Ogbomoso North, Adeola Adebayo for Ogbomoso South, Victoria Olagbenro for Saki East/Atisbo and Comfort Bola Odugbemi for Saki West.
The APM’s current campaign activity also shows women in the Assembly contest, including Bisi Oluranti Oyewo, who is contesting in Ogbomoso North according to recent reports on the party’s Oyo North campaign structure.
A sharp contrast with the 2023 election
The development becomes more significant when viewed against Oyo’s recent record.
The 2023 State House of Assembly election produced only two female lawmakers out of 32 seats, with 30 men occupying the remaining positions.
That means the growing number of female candidates appearing on the 2027 party lists could represent an important change in the political landscape, even though candidacy does not automatically translate into electoral victory.
The challenge, therefore, is no longer simply whether women will obtain nomination forms or appear on party posters.
It is whether political parties, campaign organisations and voters will give them the same level of financial support, mobilisation, visibility and electoral backing enjoyed by their male counterparts.
No woman on the Oyo governorship ticket
For all the apparent improvement at the legislative level, one major gap remains.
No woman appears among the 16 governorship candidates recently reported for Oyo State.
The latest INEC-related reports put the Oyo governorship field at 16 candidates, including Sharafadeen Alli of the APC, Adegboyega Adegoke of the ADC, Hazeem Gbolarumi of the PDP and Abimbola Adekanmbi of the APM. None of the 16 reported candidates is a woman.
That absence raises perhaps the biggest question about women’s political participation in Oyo State.
If women are increasingly considered capable of contesting Senate, House of Representatives and Assembly seats, why does the political establishment still appear reluctant to hand a major party’s governorship ticket to a woman?
A ballot slowly changing colour
The 2027 election may therefore produce an intriguing paradox for Oyo.
On one hand, more women are appearing across legislative contests and several parties are giving female politicians opportunities to compete for strategic constituencies.
On the other hand, the most powerful electoral prize in the state remains firmly in male hands.
From Hannah Ogunesan’s Senate battle in Oyo North to Tanimowo Modupe Grace’s contest in Oyo South, Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo and Tolulope Akande-Sadipe’s federal races, and the growing list of women seeking Assembly seats, the female voice is becoming harder to ignore.
The real test, however, will come on election day.
For the women now carrying party flags, nomination is only the beginning.
The bigger battle is to convert political visibility into votes and prove that women can compete, win and occupy the highest levels of political decision-making in Oyo State.
The 2027 ballot may have more women on it. Whether Oyo will have more women in power is the question voters will ultimately answer.
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