Stakeholders Renew Push For Passage Of Special Seats Bill For Women

Stakeholders have renewed calls for the passage a bill seeking to provide Special Seats for women in federal and state legislative houses.

The proposed legislation is one amongst the prioritised 44 Constitution Alteration Bills that the National Assembly planned to vote on December, 2025 but could not from them till date.

Sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and 12 others, the bill seeks to alter Sections 48, 49, 71, and 117 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to create one “Special seat reserved exclusively for women in the Senate and House of Representatives for each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).”

Speaking at a strategy meeting on;”Advancing Women’s Political Leadership: Strengthening Pathways to Inclusive Representation in 2027” in Abuja on Monday, the stakeholders also tasked political parties on nominating more female candidates in next year’s general election.

The event was organised by
Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), the Nigerian Bar Association – Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), and the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), with the support of the European Union (EU).

It convened women legislators, party leaders, aspirants and key political actors to align ongoing legislative reform efforts aimed at improving women’s political participation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In her remark, First Lady of Kwara state and Chairperson, Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum, Dr Olufolake Abdulrazaq,
drum support for initiatives such as Special Seats Bill which aimed to guarantee meaningful representation for women.

She said the bill is not merely symbolic but foundational to strengthening democratic stability, inclusivity, and the rule of law.

Abdulrazaq said the Nigerian Governors Passes Forum remain committed to promoting the inclusion of women and forging partnerships that empower women to lead, be heard and contribute to the development of their communities and the country at large.

She said globally, women remain underrepresented in policy decision-making as of January 1, 2026, women occupied just 27.5% of all parliamentary seats worldwide, a modest rise from prior years, but far from parity.

“At this pace, gender balance in parliamentary bodies is not projected until the 2060s, decades away from the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal for gender equality. Even more striking is the gender gap at the highest levels of leadership.

“Only 20 countries have women serving as heads of state and or government, a stark illustration that power is still out of reach for Muslim men globally. These global figures matter because they highlight how much remains to be done if we truly believe in an inclusive governance, democracy, and stability.

“When women are absent from law-making tables and governance structures, half of humanity does not have a voice in shaping laws, budgets, and peace pathways.In Nigeria, the situation is even more acute.

“Despite women making up nearly half of our population, they occupy fewer than 5% of seats in our national parliament, one of the lowest representation rates in the world. In the Senate, only about 3.7% of members are women, and this is an alarmingly low figure when compared to global averages.

“In the House of Representatives, the proportion of women members also remains far below international benchmarks. These numbers are not just statistics. They are indicators of a democracy that has to harness the talents, perspectives.and contributions of women in leadership,” Abdulrazaq said.

For her part, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Women Affairs, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara said Nigeria still needs to secure full passage of the Special Seats Bill at the National Assembly.

“Beyond that, we must get the support of State Houses of Assembly across the country. That is not a small task. The assurances from the Governor’s Forum who are critical stakeholders,” she said.

Ogbara stated that inclusion of women is not merely a matter of statistics, but for National development through more responsive policies, stronger institutions, comprehensive attention for community development.

“For years, we’ve talked about increasing women’s Political participation. I will rather use the term women’s political representation. We’ve had conferences, Workshops, reports, and commitments. And yet, when you look at the numbers, in terms of Political representation, the progress has been painfully slow.

“Women are still underrepresented in our political spaces not because we lack capacity, not because we lack interest, not because we lack the vision but because the system has not been designed to include us.

“That’s why the Special Seats Bill is so important. And I must say there has been progress.
This conversation is no longer on the sidelines. But on the Headlines! People are paying attention. Lawmakers are engaging. Advocacy groups are pushing harder than ever…

“The National Assembly leadership led by Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Rt. Hon Benjamin Kalu are fully in support of the bill and even Mr President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Mother of the Nation Sen. Oluremi Tinubu have severally mentioned inclusion of women … Slowly but surely, the idea that something must change is gaining ground.

“The journey ahead requires focus and urgency. We still need to secure full passage at the National Assembly. And beyond that, we must get the support of State Houses of Assembly across the country. That is not a small task. The assurances from the Governor’s Forum who are critical stakeholders,” she added.

The Executive Director of PLAC, Clement Nwankwo said would
be the biggest failure of any conversation around constitutional amendment in this country if the Special Seats bill does not pass in the 10th Assembly.

“I say so because as the lead non-paid consultant to the National Assembly on constitutional review, this is an issue that we have kept on the burner. It’s an issue that we have reminded the committee that it needs to take very seriously.

“I’ve said this repeatedly to the presiding officers and chairmen of the committees, that if the special seats bill does not pass, there is nothing else that passes in the constitutional amendment that anybody would regard as a success.

“So I do hope that the National Assembly Assembly understands that the world is looking at Nigeria, Nigerians are looking at the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, that this bill passes.

“We cannot afford in the 11th National Assembly and in the next state Houses of Assembly representations that we do have the abysmal position we have today of either extremely low women representation or no women representation at all.

“We also have this issue of election. It’s up to the political parties to also understand that in addition to the special seats bill, that the parties also provide the environment that enables more women to emerge in legislative and executive elections, whether it’s as governor, deputy governor, state house of assembly, national assembly, that the parties take very proactive action to ensure that women emerge,” he added.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr Uju Agomoh said despite constituting nearly half of Nigeria’s population, women continue to be underrepresented in elective and appointive positions.

Agomoh said this is not merely a gender issue; it is a democratic deficit that weakens the legitimacy, responsiveness, and effectiveness of governance.

“Our commitment to public interest and development law compels us to advocate for systems that are fair, inclusive, and reflective of the diversity of our society.

“Promoting women’s political leadership is not only a matter of justice but also a strategic imperative for sustainable development, peace, and national progress.

“We must move beyond rhetoric to concrete reforms: strengthening legal frameworks, supporting affirmative measures, building capacity, and fostering environments where women can participate fully and safely in political processes,”Agomoh added.