Pressure Mounts on National Assembly to Pass Women Reserved Seats Bill

A coalition of women’s organisations on Monday staged a peaceful rally at the entrance of the National Assembly, urging lawmakers to pass the Women Reserved Seats Bill.

The proposed legislation is among the 44 priority constitution amendment bills currently awaiting final voting by the National Assembly. It seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to create reserved seats for women in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.

The bill aims to address the low representation of women in legislative bodies by establishing special constituencies to be contested exclusively by women. The measure is designed as a temporary intervention to enhance women’s participation in politics.

Speaking during the rally, former Convener of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and women’s rights advocate, Ene Obi, commended lawmakers for the progress made so far on the bill. She, however, urged the National Assembly to expedite its passage to enable women contest the proposed seats in the 2027 general elections.

“A vote for a woman is a vote for life. Women are the hope of life,” Obi said. “We are not protesting; we are holding a peaceful rally. We believe in non-violence. We have organised ourselves responsibly and have not attempted to disrupt proceedings. We are simply calling on members of the National Assembly to come out and address us. We are waiting patiently.”

Also addressing the gathering, Rahila Dauda, representing the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), called on lawmakers to pass the bill in order to tackle Nigeria’s poor record of female representation in governance.

“It is a matter of concern that in a country where women make up more than half of the population, only about four or five per cent are represented in the National Assembly,” she said. “The time has come for the National Assembly to make history by passing this bill. Nigerian women are demanding action now.”

In her remarks, disability rights advocate Lois Auta called for a five per cent reservation of the proposed special seats for women and girls with disabilities, in line with provisions of the Disability Act.

“We are here to demand our rights — the right to inclusion, representation, and participation in governance,” Auta said. “The Disability Act provides for five per cent inclusion for persons with disabilities, including women and girls. We want this reflected in the special seats arrangement. It is time to move from exclusion to inclusion.”

The demonstrators maintained that the passage of the Women Reserved Seats Bill would mark a significant step toward achieving gender equity in Nigeria’s political landscape.