While the VAPP Act has now been domesticated in 35 states, enforcement remains limited. Fewer than two-thirds of these states have established sex offender registries, and in the Federal Capital Territory, only 36 convictions have been secured out of over 3,000 reported cases of gender-based violence. This stark gap between legislation and enforcement highlights the persistent weakness of accountability mechanisms, particularly within political institutions, where internal ethics committees rarely sanction senior officials. 

On paper, the public sector includes some safeguards. The Federal Public Service Rules classify sexual harassment as ‘serious misconduct’ punishable by dismissal. Furthermore, Nigeria’s 2022 ratification of ILO Convention 190 commits the state to eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work. Yet, these standards have not translated into a cohesive, enforceable policy for elected officials. According to the National Industrial Court, employers are merely expected to take ad hoc ‘administrative action’ when such incidents occur, with no statutory requirements for training or independent oversight. In practice, political privilege and procedural opacity continue to protect perpetrators more effectively than the law protects victims. The limitations of these legal protections become especially visible in high-profile cases involving women in politics such as Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan. Despite the seriousness of her allegation against Senator Akpabio, no formal inquiry has been launched. Instead, her suspension appears to reflect an institutional effort to silence rather than support her.  

To fully understand this coordinated silencing, it is essential to situate it within the broader socio-political landscape. The realities facing women in African politics are shaped not only by legislation, but also by the political, economic, social and cultural environments in which they operate. These contexts influence both the forms of violence women face and the nature of institutional responses to such violence. Deeply entrenched norms that uphold male dominance often result in systemic violations of women’s rights, especially in public and political life. 

Further complicating this landscape are the dual legal systems through which many African states function. Amina Mama, a feminist scholar, points out that, the state often operates through both civil and customary law. While civil law may offer stronger protections for women’s rights, many African women are more heavily governed by customary norms that limit their political and legal agency. In practice, this duality creates a gap between rights guaranteed on paper and those accessible in reality. Customary laws still treat women as legal minors, limit their access to land and leadership and fail to protect them from abuse. 

Structural inequalities, including economic barriers, further exacerbate these challenges.  

Campaigning in Nigeria, for instance, is notoriously capital-intensive. Party nomination fees for a senate seat can exceed ₦20 million (approximately $13,000), a hurdle that Mama links to the ‘neoliberal privatization of politics’. While Akpoti-Uduaghan, a lawyer and entrepreneur married to a prominent businessman and philanthropist, could raise these funds, her experience illustrates that financial independence does not shield women from institutional backlash. The senate stripped her of salary, allowances and security detail immediately after she challenged male leadership—underscoring that even well-resourced women remain financially vulnerable when they step out of line. For less-resourced women, the message is even clearer: do not even try. This systemic discouragement reinforces a political environment where silence, not participation, is rewarded—leaving democratic institutions poorer for the exclusion of half the population. Ultimately, the political backlash against women who speak out—as exemplified by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s experience—reveals more than just institutional failure. It reflects a broader unwillingness to challenge entrenched power structures and a deeply rooted resistance to achieving genuine gender equality in political life.