Global Educational Research Journal

Effect of Political Thuggery on Women Participation in Politics: A Study of APC in Lagos State

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of political thuggery and women's participation in politics: a study of APC in Lagos State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The study was guided by three research questions and one hypothesis tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The population of this study included an estimated 4,670 individuals involved in politics within Lagos State, specifically focusing on the All Progressives Congress (APC). The sample of this study comprised 500 registered women voters and supporters of APC, Lagos State. A multistage sampling technique was involved in the sampling. The instrument used for data collection was a researcher-structured questionnaire titled “Political Thuggery and Women Participation In Politics (PTWPPQ).” The validity of the instruments was determined by 3 experts from the Department of Political Science, Paul University. Awka. Cronbach The alpha method of reliability was used to determine the internal consistency, and a reliability index of 0.70 was obtained. The research questions were answered using simple descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation. The hypothesis was tested at 0.05 levels of significance using analysis of variance analysis. Results revealed that political thuggery is caused by a combination of factors, including unemployment, economic hardship, politicians' use of thugs, lack of effective law enforcement, and poor governance. Political thuggery has a profoundly negative impact on women's participation in politics, discouraging them from seeking appointments, targeting them with violence, and creating a hostile environment, and women in politics face various forms of thuggery, including physical violence, verbal abuse, threats, destruction of property, and character assassination. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the Lagos state government should implement programmes to reduce unemployment and economic hardship, which can drive individuals to engage in political thuggery, and the Lagos state government should strengthen law enforcement and ensure accountability for thuggery-related crimes to deter perpetrators and create a safer environment for women in politics, among others.

Keywords: Political Thuggery, Women Participation, Gender Inequality