Nigeria, Jan. 14 -- The question is no longer whether Nigerian women are interested in power. The more honest question is whether Nigeria's political architecture is genuinely prepared for women to exercise power without apology, patronage, or pity. The renewed campaign for increased women's seats in the legislature has once again exposed the fault lines in our democratic imagination.

Obviously on account of its strong appeal, many citizens across gender divides freely support the idea. Some others, on the other hand, including some women, dismiss it as defeatist, likening it to a charity-driven shortcut that undermines merit. Yet, beneath this argument lies a deeper fear: the discomfort with women not just participating in politics, but...