National Assembly weighs 74 extra seats reserved for women

Nigeria's National Assembly is working on a constitutional change that would set aside 74 seats in the Senate and House of Representatives for women only, plus three women-only seats in each state House of Assembly.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele announced the plan on Monday in Ekiti State, at a Law Week event held by the state chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA). Bamidele is also vice chairman of the Senate committee handling the review of the 1999 Constitution.

The numbers work out to 37 extra seats in the Senate and 37 in the House, so every state and the Federal Capital Territory would get one more seat in each chamber. The new seats would be added on top of the ones that already exist, not taken from sitting lawmakers.

At state level, the committee wants three extra seats in each House of Assembly, also reserved for women, again without removing any current constituency.

Why it matters

Nigerian women hold a small share of elective offices, and the proposal is meant to change that. Bamidele argued that a democracy which shuts out more than half its people from decisions about their own lives is not working properly.

"A democracy that systematically excludes over half of its population from the decision-making tables that determine their futures is, at best, a flawed democracy and, at worst, a veiled oligarchy," he said.

He said the idea came out of wide consultations and is not tied to any political party. He also credited pressure from senior figures, including First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, for pushing the 10th National Assembly to act.

Under the plan, the reserved seats would last 16 years, or four election cycles, before lawmakers review how well they worked. Bamidele described that time limit as a way to keep the reform sustainable while a more inclusive political culture grows.

He also used the event to call for stronger protection for women, children and persons with disabilities, including better access to healthcare, education and social support. Victims of domestic violence or child abuse, he said, should be able to seek help without fear or stigma, and offenders should face the law.

What happens next

A constitutional amendment cannot pass without the backing of the state Houses of Assembly, and Bamidele said the committee is already engaging them. He expressed confidence the proposal would get the required two-thirds support. Until then, nothing changes and no new seats exist.

Also at the event were Steve Fatoba, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Information and National Orientation, and Adeoye Aribasoye, Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly.