AI-Facilitated Abuse and the New Frontiers of Violence against Women in Nigerian Politics

Abstract

Despite constitutional guarantees of equal political participation and persistent advocacy by local women’s movements for 35 percent affirmative action, women in Nigeria remain severely marginalized in political leadership. While structural, financial, and institutional barriers such as the legislative rejection of the gender equality bills in 2022 are well documented, the evolution of Nigeria’s democracy has introduced a dangerous new dimension to gendered political exclusion. This paper examines the emergence of the digital space as a hostile fortress where advanced technologies are weaponized to police and suppress female political actors. This study uses radical feminist theory and online disinhibition theory to examine how artificial intelligence and coordinated online attacks are deployed to inflict psychological harm, damage reputations, and enforce digital gaslighting against women in politics. The paper argues that AI-facilitated abuse constitutes a sophisticated, modern extension of Violence against Women in Politics (VAWIP) aimed at preserving patriarchal gatekeeping. Finally, the study contends that unless digital public spaces are systematically reformed through robust policy and technological accountability, algorithmic violence will continue to subvert female political inclusivity and undermine Nigeria’s democratic consolidation.