The Coalition of groups including Women-Led Organisations have submitted a Gender Bill to the Nigerian Senate’s Constitutional Review Committee, seeking the creation of additional reserved seats for women in both the National and State Assemblies.
The presentations were made during the North West Zonal Public Hearing held in Kano on Tuesday.
Leading the coalition, Dr. Mohamed Mustapha Yahya explained that the bill aims to address the severe underrepresentation of women in elective offices despite constituting nearly half of Nigeria’s voting population.
“The gender bill proposes one additional Senate seat for women in each of the 36 states and the FCT, bringing the total to 37 reserved seats.
. “For the House of Representatives, we are seeking one seat for women in each of the 109 senatorial districts, which translates to 47 reserved seats,” Dr. Yahya stated
At the state level, the coalition proposes three additional seats for women in every State House of Assembly, based on the three senatorial zones per state. This measure, they believe, will guarantee women’s effective representation across all tiers of government.
Highlighting the rationale behind the bill, Dr. Yahya said, “Democracy is a game of numbers, and women constitute 45–49% of the electorate. Yet, women remain significantly underrepresented in decision-making positions. This bill is a step towards correcting that imbalance.”
Habiba Ahmed, Senior Programs Officer at Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), called on the government to not only pass the bill but also ensure its full implementation.
She emphasised that improving women’s political participation was essential for inclusive governance.
Ahmed further stressed the importance of electoral reforms, particularly an independent nomination process for the INEC chairman, to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral framework and make the proposed reforms effective.
The coalition, comprising groups like WRAPA, FIDA, WACOL, WOWIKAN, and others, is backed by UN Women.
Confidence Okwuchi