Janet Akinrinade overcame the early loss of her parents and brother, pursuing self-education to pass her GCE O'levels, despite not attending secondary school.

Her political career took off in 1970 as a councillor in Iseyin, a role she held for seven years. In 1977, she became the only woman elected to the Nigerian Constituent Assembly, securing a place in a traditionally male-dominated space. The following year, she joined the Nigerian People's Party (NPP) and ran as the party’s deputy governor candidate for Oyo State in 1979.

An alliance between the NPP and the governing National Party of Nigeria (NPN) led to her appointment as Minister of State for Internal Affairs during the nation's Second Republic. In 1982, she left her ministerial post to serve as a commissioner in Plateau State.