Sorcispecisl.sest special seat bill
Advocacy groups and regional leaders are intensifying calls for a structural overhaul of Nigeria’s political landscape, decrying the persistent sidelining of women in governance.
Despite making up nearly half of the nation’s population, women remain critically underrepresented in the 10th National Assembly, holding just 4.2% of the total 469 seats.
The current statistics paint a sobering picture of gender exclusion:
The Senate: Women occupy only 4 out of 109 seats (3.7%).
The House of Representatives: Women hold just 15 out of 360 seats (4.2%).
State Assemblies: Nationwide, women occupy only 45 out of 991 seats (4.5%), with 13 states having no female lawmakers at all.
“This is not merely a gender issue; it is a democratic deficit that weakens the effectiveness of governance,” stated advocates during a recent push for reform.
While states like Ekiti have made strides—historically recording higher numbers of women in government than many peers—there is a renewed call for the Ekiti State House of Assembly to lead by example in institutionalizing gender-responsive provisions.
Central to this movement is the Special Seats Bill (HB-1349), which seeks to create additional legislative seats exclusively for women as a temporary corrective measure for four election cycles. The bill aims to establish 37 new seats in the House of Representatives and one additional seat per state in the Senate, alongside reserved spots in State Houses of Assembly.
Southwest legislators and traditional rulers, led by the Ooni of Ife, have publicly rallied behind the bill, describing it as a “long-overdue corrective instrument”.
Proponents emphasize that without this structural intervention, entrenched financial and cultural barriers will continue to silence 45% of Nigeria’s voices in decision-making processes.
With the 2027 general elections approaching, stakeholders are urging the National Assembly to expedite the passage of the bill to ensure genuine representation and align Nigeria with regional peers like Rwanda and Senegal, where legislative quotas have significantly boosted inclusive governance.