Political parties, security agencies, the electoral commission, media organisations and women’s groups in Osun State have signed a code of conduct to protect women in politics from violence, online abuse and AI-generated deepfakes ahead of the governorship election.
The Joint Code of Conduct Against Gendered Electoral Attacks was signed on Monday during a stakeholders’ dialogue, Safe to Run, Safe to Vote, held in Osogbo.
The event was organised by the Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), with support from Urgent Action Fund–Africa.
The stakeholders said women involved in Osun politics had faced different forms of abuse during the campaign, including physical attacks, the circulation of intimate images without consent and the use of artificial intelligence to create fake sexual videos and audio.
They also raised concerns about persistent online attacks, saying the abuse had forced some women to withdraw from public life.
Under the agreement, which takes effect immediately, signatories pledged not to produce, fund, share, broadcast or promote image-based sexual abuse, AI-generated sexual content, gendered disinformation, women’s private information or threats against women and their families.
They also agreed to condemn such attacks publicly, regardless of the political party involved, and not to blame women for the abuse directed at them.
The stakeholders said attacks that drive women out of politics should be viewed as an electoral issue because their exclusion reduces the choices available to voters.
‘Attacks on Women Threaten the Election’
Speaking at the event, BBYDI Communications Associate, Fatima Binat Abubakar, said attacks against women should not be dismissed as part of political campaigns.
“An election that allows women to be forced out through violence, whether by a fist or a fabricated image, cannot claim to reflect the will of its people,” she said.
“This code says plainly that attacking a woman for taking part in politics is not a campaign tactic. It is an attack on the election, and everyone who signed has agreed to treat it that way.”
The code also outlines the responsibilities of the institutions that signed it.
The electoral commission’s Osun office agreed to record gendered attacks as part of its electoral integrity responsibilities and include gender-safety messages in voter education.
Security agencies agreed to treat image-based sexual abuse, threats and the release of women’s private information as reportable offences. They also pledged to protect the identities of women who report such cases.
Media organisations, particularly broadcasters, agreed to verify reports concerning women’s private lives before airing them. They also committed to giving corrections the same level of prominence when inaccurate reports are broadcast.
Civil society and legal organisations, meanwhile, agreed to provide free legal, digital-safety and psychosocial support to women targeted by such attacks, regardless of their political affiliation.
Code Covers Election and Post-Election Period
The commitments will remain in force through polling day, the announcement and acceptance of results, and any subsequent petitions.
Some of the provisions will also continue to apply between elections.
BBYDI said the code is expected to serve as a model for other elections and support its wider work on gender-based violence prevention, online safety and civic participation.
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