NILOWV Mobilises Awareness In Bauchi On Special Seats Bill For Women’s Political Inclusion

The League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV) has intensified its campaign to increase women’s representation in political leadership by organising a town hall meeting in Bauchi to raise awareness on the proposed Special Seats Bill currently before the National Assembly.

The meeting held at the Professor Iya Abubakar Resource Centre, Bauchi yesterday, focused on enhancing women’s inclusion and representation in Nigeria’s political processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The meeting also served as a sensitisation platform to educate stakeholders on the bill’s significance, which seeks to amend the constitution to reserve additional legislative seats exclusively for women.

Speaking at the meeting, Dr Victoria Daaor, director of strategy for NILOWV and Technical Lead for the project in Bauchi, explained that the initiative aims to build grassroots support for the Special Seats Bill.

“We are in Bauchi to sensitise the public, gain stakeholder support, and advocate for the additional reserved seats for women in the National Assembly,” she said.

Dr Daaor emphasised that the proposed constitutional amendment would not displace existing representatives or alter current constituencies. “These are additional seats, not replacements.

This bill is about giving women a stronger voice, not taking anything away from men,” she explained.

For her part, Hajiya Zainab Mohammed, chairperson of NILOWV in Bauchi State, thanked participants and reaffirmed the importance of educating the public, especially men, about the bill’s intent.

“We want people to understand that this is not about taking over existing seats but creating new opportunities for women to be heard. Our mission is clear: to ensure women’s voices are represented in decision-making spaces,” she noted.

The Special Seats Bill, sponsored by the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, proposes the creation of one additional Senate seat and one House of Representatives seat in each state, totalling 74 new seats, for four election cycles (16 years). These seats will be exclusively contested by women and will not affect existing constituents or statutory zones.

Public hearings on the bill are scheduled to begin in July across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. In anticipation, NILOWV is conducting a nationwide sensitisation tour, starting with town hall meetings like the one held in Bauchi.

The campaign is being carried out in partnership with the State Ministry of Women Affairs and the Office of the First Lady, Hajiya Aisha Bala Mohammed.

The movement is supported by the United Nations and implemented in collaboration with organisations such as the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), and other civil society groups.

The Bauchi town hall drew diverse participants, including civil society organisations, people with disabilities, traditional and religious leaders, youth groups, political stakeholders, and Ministry of Women Affairs representatives.

Many speakers commended the bill in their goodwill messages, describing it as a timely and strategic step toward inclusive governance.