KANO (North-West, NIGERIA) — As the Constitution amendment process intensifies, over 45 women-led groups and civil society organisations have called on the 10th National Assembly to prioritise the passage of the Additional/Reserved Seats for Women Bill, demanding more representation for women in the National and State Assemblies.
Led by Habiba Ahmed, Senior Program Officer at the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), the coalition submitted a consolidated memorandum at the North-West public hearing, pressing for constitutional reforms that would create dedicated legislative seats for women at all tiers of government.
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The women are proposing the creation of one senatorial seat per state and the FCT (totalling 37 seats), two House of Representatives seats per state (74 seats), and three State Assembly seats per senatorial district (108 seats), all reserved exclusively for female candidates. They insist these reforms are critical to redressing gender imbalance in Nigeria’s political space.
“The time is now. This is a national development bill. We urge the National Assembly to seize this historic opportunity and ensure its accelerated passage,” Ahmed said.
The group also called for an overhaul of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) leadership selection process, advocating for an independent panel, in line with the Justice Uwais Committee recommendations, to restore public trust in electoral institutions.
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The Executive Director of the Dispute Resolution and Development Initiative, DAG-DRDI, Dr. Mustapha Yahaya highlighted the paradox in Kano State where women, despite making up nearly 49 per cent of the electorate in the country, currently have no representation in the State Assembly.
“Even the House Committee on Women Affairs is chaired by a man. So how do you have proper representation,” he noted.
The coalition is urging state adoption and presidential assent to the bill, proposing a 16-year timeline across four election cycles before a review to assess its effectiveness.
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