On Tuesday, July 9, the House of Representatives passed for second reading a constitutional amendment Bill aiming to reserve additional seats for women in both the state and National Assembly. Sponsored by Deputy Speaker Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Bill seeks to address the underrepresentation of women in legislative bodies at national and sub-national levels.
Presenting the motion, co-sponsor Joshua Gana emphasized the Bill's goal of ensuring equitable representation and empowering women to contribute significantly to the legislative process. He noted that despite constitutional guarantees of equal rights, women have been significantly underrepresented, citing statistics from previous assemblies.
The Bill proposes amendments to Sections 48 and 49 of the Constitution to reserve one special seat for women in the Senate and House of Representatives for each state and the Federal Capital Territory. It also seeks to amend Section 91 to reserve three special seats for women in each state's Houses of Assembly, distributed across the senatorial districts. Further amendments to Sections 71, 77, and 117 are intended to establish special constituencies for women.
While the Bill received widespread support during its second reading, some members cautioned against passing a law that might conflict with constitutional principles. Despite these concerns, the Bill represents a significant step towards gender equality in Nigeria’s legislative landscape.
