The Special Seats Bill: A Step Toward Gender Inclusion in Nigerian Politics
As the National Assembly prepares to vote on a bill seeking to create special seats for women in national and state assemblies, concerns about the persistent underrepresentation of women in politics have intensified. According to recent reports, 13 state houses of assembly currently have no female legislators. This alarming situation highlights the need for deliberate legislative action to address gender disparities in governance.
Out of the 990 state assembly seats across the 36 states of the federation, only 54 women were elected in 23 states during the 2023 elections, representing just 5.5 per cent. Women’s representation in the 10th National Assembly is also dismal, with only four women occupying seats in the 109-member Senate and 16 out of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives. Cumulatively, women hold just 20 of the 469 seats in the National Assembly, an insignificant 4.3 per cent, while men occupy the remaining 95.7 per cent.
This lack of representation has raised serious concerns among advocacy groups, international organizations, and other stakeholders. Many argue that the gender imbalance can only be corrected through deliberate legislative action mandating a percentage of seats to be reserved for women in the spirit of fairness and inclusion.
The Special Seats Bill
The Special Seats Bill, which passed second reading on July 9, 2024, proposes the creation of 182 additional seats reserved exclusively for women in the federal and state legislatures. It is among the 86 constitutional amendment bills the National Assembly is expected to vote on soon.
Sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, and 12 others, the bill seeks to alter Sections 48, 49, and 91 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to create one special seat for women in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives for each state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). At the state level, it proposes to amend Section 91 to provide three special seats per state house of assembly, one for each senatorial district.
If passed, the bill would add 37 new female senators, 37 female representatives, and 108 female state legislators, producing a total of 182 additional women lawmakers every election cycle. The proposed seats would exist alongside existing constituency seats for a limited number of election cycles, after which they would be reviewed.
The proposed legislation has already scaled second reading at the House of Representatives and will require approval by two-thirds of House members and the Senate as well as the endorsement by at least 24 state assemblies before it can be transmitted for presidential assent.
Support from Stakeholders
According to its proponents, the measure is designed to strengthen women’s political inclusion and boost their participation in governance and decision-making. The proposed legislation has garnered wide support from women’s groups, civil society organizations, international bodies, and lawmakers.
At a public hearing, Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, women’s groups, the United Nations, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and other stakeholders all endorsed the bill, stressing that gender inclusion is vital to Nigeria’s democratic and developmental aspirations.
In his remarks, the Speaker described women’s representation in Nigeria’s parliament as ‘unacceptable,’ urging colleagues to support the bill. The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said the proposal offers Nigeria an opportunity to ‘make history.’
‘As international partners, the EU is following this process very closely, on inclusive governance, with this special seats bill, a Nigerian-made draft reform. It is especially important to strengthen democracy to the benefit of all, men and women alike, and to make history,’ Mignot said.
Meanwhile, women’s groups have taken to the streets of Abuja in peaceful protests, demanding support for the legislation.
Governors Push for Passage of the Bill
Meanwhile, governors of the 36 states of the federation have resolved to push for the passage of Reserved Seats for Women Bill before the National Assembly. The resolution was reached during their meeting in Abuja, which started on Thursday night and ended in the early hours of Friday.
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who addressed newsmen at the end of the meeting, said the governors resolved to engage lawmakers from their states to support the bill’s passage. Sanwo-Olu who read a communique signed by Kwara State governor and chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said, ‘The Forum noted that the Reserved Seats for Women Bill (HB 1349) will be voted on between November 4-6, 2025.’
States Without Women Lawmakers
Despite the growing advocacy for women’s inclusion, findings show that 13 out of the 36 state assemblies currently have no female representation. The affected states include Abia, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Osun, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.
Currently, women occupy only 54 of the 990 state assembly seats nationwide, leaving men with 94.5 per cent of the total.
Challenges in Specific States
In Gombe State, the 24-member assembly has no female legislator. Since 1999, only two women have ever served in the House: Hajiya Zainab Alman, who represented Kaltungo East between 2003 and 2007, and Asmau Mohammed Iganus, who represented Shongom Constituency from 2019 to 2023.
In Kebbi State, no woman has ever served in the state assembly since the return of democracy in 1999. The 24-member assembly is made up entirely of men.
In Borno State, only one woman, Dr Asabe Vilita Bashir, has ever served in the state assembly. She was first elected in 1997 and returned in 2003 before leaving to serve as a commissioner under then-Governor Ali Modu Sheriff.
In Bauchi State, the current 10th Assembly has no female legislator. Findings show that since 1999, only three women have been elected into the Bauchi State House of Assembly.
In Sokoto, some lawmakers have expressed reservations about the proposal, describing it as discriminatory. Hon. Habibu Modachi, who represents Isa Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, said the move was ‘undemocratic and unnecessary.’
In Zamfara, Yobe, Jigawa, and Katsina, the situation mirrors that of Sokoto, where no woman has ever won a seat in the legislature.
In Kano, the 40-member House of Assembly also has no female member, making it one of the few state assemblies in Nigeria without a single woman in its legislative ranks.
In Abia State, the 24-member House of Assembly is also made up entirely of men. In 2015, the state produced five female legislators, but in both the 2019 and 2023 elections, no woman was elected into the Assembly.
In Imo State, the 27-member House of Assembly is also entirely male. While the state has had a handful of women in the Assembly in the past, their representation has been consistently low.
Factors Limiting Women’s Political Representation
Dr Damilola Agbalojobi, a political scientist and gender specialist, identified the high cost of politics, poor media coverage of female candidates, and cultural and religious norms surrounding marriage and family responsibilities as major factors limiting women’s participation in Nigerian politics.
According to her, women often lack the financial capacity to pay for the mandatory expression-of-interest and nomination forms required by political parties, not to mention the huge cost of election campaigns. She added that women’s limited access to education translates to fewer employment opportunities, making it more difficult for them to sustain political ambitions or secure leadership positions.