ARTICLE 9 OF THE MAPUTO PROTOCOL AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF POLITICAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Despite numerous commitments by African States to eliminate gender inequality, women continue to be discriminated against in all spheres of life. Women dominate the poverty, illiteracy and unemployment indicators as well as being under-represented in governance. They are also subjected to a lot of harmful cultural practices. Consequently, the African Union adopted one of the world’s most comprehensive and progressive women’s human rights instruments, the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (‘the Maputo Protocol’) in Maputo, Mozambique on 11 July 2003. The Protocol guarantees extensive rights to African women and girls and includes a number of progressive provisions. It details wide-ranging and substantive human rights for women, covering the entire spectrum of civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights. Nigeria ratified the Maputo Protocol on December 16, 2004, but it is yet to be domesticated. Thus, there have been calls from many quarters, especially civil society organizations, for the country to domesticate and start the implementation of the provisions of the Maputo Protocol. With the aid of Feminist Legal Theory, this study examined the provisions of Article 9 of the Maputo Protocol in light of women's political rights in Nigeria. The study employed a qualitative research approach that incorporates desk research, case studies, and comparative analysis. Two African countries, Rwanda and South Africa, where the protocol has been successfully domesticated, were examined to underscore the importance of domesticating the instrument in ensuring the protection of women's political rights in Nigeria. Keywords: African Union, Maputo Protocol, Rights of Women, Women and Politics, Nigeria