By Bilesanmi Abayomi
For decades, politics in the Kosofe Federal Constituency of Lagos State was largely a male-dominated affair. But since the post-COVID-19 era, women have been making steady and remarkable inroads into grassroots leadership.
In Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Princess Samiat Abolanle Bada has continued to serve as council chairman, setting the pace for female leadership. The momentum deepened in 2023 with the election of Hon. Kafilat Ogbara to the House of Representatives, representing Kosofe Federal Constituency. The trend was further reinforced in 2025 when Hon. Adetola Abubakar Oyedele emerged chairman of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA after the local government elections.
Despite these breakthroughs, one gap remains: no woman has yet represented Kosofe in the Lagos State House of Assembly for Constituencies I and II. Analysts believe that if female political actors in Kosofe Constituency II—where women already hold 100% of local political offices—unite and put aside rivalries, they could rally behind a single candidate and secure one of the two Assembly seats.
The growing visibility of women in Kosofe politics builds on the legacy of Hon. Yetunde Arobieke, pioneer Executive Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, who later served as Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu between 2019 and 2023.
As 2027 draws closer, Kosofe stands out as a constituency where women are no longer bystanders but active shapers of the political landscape—raising calls for them to extend their influence beyond the local councils to the Lagos State Assembly itself.