The African Action Congress (AAC) has condemned what it described as sexist jokes and coded language targeting its governorship candidate in the 8 November Anambra State election, Chioma Ifemeludike.
Ifemeludike and other candidates, including incumbent governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who is seeking re-election under the banner of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, will test their popularity at the poll.
However, the AAC candidate has faced a wave of reactions on social media since she posted pictures announcing her candidacy for the election.
Adeyeye said that the focus on Ifemeludike’s looks exposes the deep-rooted patriarchy that still shapes Nigeria’s political culture.
‘Instead of engaging with her governance plans, some have chosen to police her appearance’, he said, condemning the sexist jokes and noted they are not surprising given the broader societal context.
He cited examples of sexism in Nigeria’s political institutions, including the treatment of Ambassador Bianca Odumegwe-Ojukwu during her ministerial confirmation and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s experiences.
‘Unlike conventional parties, we don’t ‘Akpabio’ women in our party’, Adeyeye added, referring to the derogatory treatment of women in politics. Godswill Akpabio is the Senate President.
He said that women in politics face double scrutiny, having to prove their competence while conforming to shifting societal expectations of femininity.
He called on voters to reject sexist mockery and coded language that seek to marginalise women in politics.
Adeyeye said: ‘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.
‘It is an unfortunate fact that women in politics face double the scrutiny: they must prove their competence while also meeting society’s constantly shifting expectations of “acceptable” femininity and womanhood.
‘This isn’t just unfair. We consider it a distraction from the real issues that matter. When we reduce a female candidate to her body or her clothing, we silence her vision and reinforce the message that women’s worth is tied to their physical appearance, not ability’.
AAC’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr. Omoyele Sowore also condemned Ifemeludike’s criticism.
He described her as an exemplary young woman whose intelligence and ideas are being overshadowed by attacks on her appearance.
‘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.
