Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and Policy and Legislative Advocacy Centre (PLAC) have appealed to members of the national and state assemblies to support the passage of the Bill on Special Seats for Women so as to further deepen participatory democracy in Nigeria.
Both organisations said there was need to make Nigeria’s governance system more inclusive and reflective of the diverse nature of the country.
Speaking at the Strategy Meeting on Advancing Women’s Political Leadership: Strengthening Pathways to Inclusive Representation in 2027, held in Abuja, Chairperson of NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), Mrs. Uju Agomoh, described the Special Seats for Women Bill as an instrument of social transformation.
Agomoh said despite constituting nearly half of Nigeria’s population, women continued to be underrepresented in elective and appointive positions.
She stated, “This is not merely a gender issue. It is a democratic deficit that weakens the legitimacy, responsiveness and effectiveness of governance at speed-over.
“We believe that the law must serve as an instrument of social transformation. Our commitment to public interest and Development Law compels us to advocate for systems that are fair, for systems that are inclusive and for systems that are reflective of the diversity of our society.”
She added, “Promoting women’s political leadership is not only a matter of justice, but also a strategic imperative for sustainable development peace and national progress.”
Agomoh said the advocacy workshop, organised by PLAC and supported by the European Union Office in Nigeria, along with Nigerian Women Trust Fund, came at the right time when conversations about representation, equity and inclusion were gaining momentum. She said it offered opportunity to interrogate existing barriers and collectively design action and strategies to overcome them.
Addressing participants at the meeting, Executive Director of PLAC, Mr. Clement Nwankwo, said the expectations were very high on the need to pass the Bill on Special Seats for Women into law by the legislature.
Nwankwo said apart from creating a level of inclusion for women in the legislature, the bill was being backed by advocacy for improved participation of women in politics and governance of the country.
According to Nwankwo, the bill seeks to provide support through constitutional and legal instruments to increase the number of women in the states and national assembly.
He stated, “This bill did not pass in the ninth assembly. It’s back in the 10th assembly, and it’s the hope all of us that it passes. I think it will be the biggest failure of any conversation around constitutional amendment in this country if the bill does not pass.
“And I say so because as the lead non-paid consultant to the National Assembly on Constitutional review. This is an issue that we have kept on the front burner.”
Nwankwo added, “It’s an issue that we have reminded the Constitution Amendment Committee that it needs to take very seriously, indeed.
“And I’ve said this repeatedly to the presiding officers and chairman of the committees that if the special seats bill does not pass, there is nothing else that passes in the concert amendment that anybody will regard as a success.”
Ahead of the 2027 general election, Nwankwo urged political parties to also provide the environment that would enable more women to emerge in legislative and executive elections.
In her remarks, Chair, House Committee on Women Affairs, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, said conversation on Women Special Seats was no longer on the side-lines.
Ogbara said more key stakeholders were now paying attention to the issue, both in the executive and the legislature.
She stated, “National Assembly leadership led by Rt. Hon Tajudeen Abbas and Rt. Hon Benjamin Kalu are fully in support of the bill and even Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the mother of the nation, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, have severally mentioned inclusion of women…
“Slowly but surely, the idea that something must change is gaining ground.”
Other key stakeholders, including the European Union, wife of the Edo State governor, Mrs. Edesili Anani Okpebholo, and that of the Kwara State governor joined in advocating the speedy passage of the Special Seats Bill.
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