From David Onuoja, Abuja
The National Assembly, has proposed the creation of 74 additional seats for women in the Senate and House of Representatives, alongside three reserved seats for women in each State House of Assembly, as part of efforts to address the underrepresentation of women in Nigeria’s political system.
According to information available to our Correspondent in Abuja, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this on Monday at the 2026 Law Week organised by the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ekiti State chapter, with the theme, “Justice in a Changing World: Responding to New Challenges Affecting Women and Children.”
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District and who is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the proposed amendment is targeted at breaking barriers limiting women’s participation in governance and promoting an inclusive political culture.
He explained that the initiative, if approved, would add 37 seats to the Senate and 37 to the House of Representatives, ensuring that each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory has one additional seat in each chamber, without displacing existing elected representatives.
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Bamidele said the committee also proposed three additional seats for women in each State House of Assembly, to run for 16 years covering four electoral cycles, before a comprehensive review. Described it as a sunset clause designed to allow for the organic development of a more inclusive political culture.
He said the proposal was the fruit of extensive consultation and consensus-building, adding that the National Assembly commenced the constitutional review process early to ensure a deliberate, inclusive and thorough reform, and that it is actively engaging State Houses of Assembly whose concurrence is a constitutional sine qua non.
The Senate Leader stressed that the initiative is not partisan but a historic imperative, noting that a democracy that systematically excludes over half of its population from decision-making tables is at best a flawed democracy and at worst a veiled oligarchy. He said the resolve of the 10th National Assembly was strengthened by advocacy from the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.
Beyond representation, Bamidele said the legislature must intervene to protect vulnerable groups, particularly women, children and persons with disabilities, through improved access to healthcare, education and social protection, and to respond to emerging threats that exploit weaknesses in existing systems.
Bamidele said justice must be more than a promise in the Constitution, but must be accessible, affordable, timely and effective, so that a woman suffering domestic violence can seek protection without intimidation, and a child who experiences abuse is heard and supported, while perpetrators are held accountable.
He therefore called for stronger collaboration among the legislature, executive, judiciary, law enforcement, social welfare institutions, religious organisations, traditional rulers, civil society and the private sector, and charged FIDA to deepen engagement with the National Assembly in identifying gaps in existing laws.
In her address, the Vice-Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Professor Smaranda Olarinde, called for stronger legal frameworks to protect women and children against emerging abuse enabled by technology, including cyberstalking, deepfake images and exploitation of children, while FIDA Chairperson, Ekiti State, Ayobami Olowoyo-Richards, reiterated the association’s commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of women and children.
