Women groups have called for legislative action on Reserved Seats for Women Bill as the House of Representatives reconvene for emergency sitting
Coalition of Women Political Participation (WPP) on Monday staged a solidarity march at the National Assembly, urging lawmakers to fast-track legislative action on the Reserved Seats for Women Bill as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.
The protesters called for the immediate consideration and passage of House Bill 1349 and Senate Bill 550, which seek constitutional amendments to create 182 reserved seats for women across the Senate, the House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly nationwide.
The rally came against the backdrop of plans by the House of Representatives to reconvene for an emergency sitting to consider the 2027 election timetable recently released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The women urged lawmakers to also deliberate on the special seats bill during the emergency session.
Addressing journalists at the National Assembly Complex, Ene Obi, one of the organisers of the solidarity march, warned that the release of the election timetable had narrowed the window for meaningful female participation if urgent action was not taken.
“INEC has come up with a 2027 timetable. What we are saying is that this bill must be voted on quickly because it is a constitutional amendment that still has to go to the states. We need at least 24 states to approve it before it can be implemented,” she said.
Obi lamented Nigeria’s poor record of women’s representation, noting that 14 state assemblies currently have no female lawmakers, while the country continues to record one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates.
“As if any woman who is pregnant today is on a maternity death row. Who then decides on issues affecting women when there are no women at the table?” she asked.
She stressed that the rally was not a protest but a show of vigilance, adding that women groups would monitor and document how lawmakers vote on the bill and engage constituents accordingly.
Also speaking, Ebere Ifende, President of the Women in Politics Forum, said the march was a “thank-you visit” to the leadership of the National Assembly for advancing the bill to the voting stage, while also serving as a reminder of its urgency.
“There can be no electoral integrity without inclusion. While the National Assembly is considering the Electoral Act and election timetable, the special seats bill is just as important,” she said, expressing optimism that the 10th Assembly would “leave a lasting legacy for Nigerian women.”
Gender advocate Adaora Onyechere Sydney-Jack cautioned that delays could push women’s hopes to the 2031 election cycle.
“Political will is not complete without political results. The result we want is the passage of this bill in time for women to participate meaningfully in the 2027 elections, including party primaries,” she said.
In her remarks, Yeside Olasimbo, Special Adviser on Women Affairs to the Speaker of the House, said she joined the rally as a Nigerian woman, praising the leadership of the 10th Assembly for supporting the process so far.
“We are almost half of Nigeria’s population. We are tired of only dancing and singing at campaigns; we want to be part of decision-making,” she said, urging lawmakers yet to support the bill to consider its impact on future generations.
The women groups insisted that swift passage of the Reserved Seats for Women Bill is crucial to ensuring broader participation of women in governance and preventing further delays in addressing gender imbalance in Nigeria’s political representation.
