On Tuesday, July 9, the House of Representatives passed a landmark bill, in its third reading, to reserve 74 seats for women in the National Assembly.

This initiative aims to encourage greater female participation in politics and governance.

The bill, which received favorable votes during the plenary session, is sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and 12 other lawmakers. It seeks to amend sections 48, 49, 71, and 117 of the constitution, establishing one “special seat” exclusively for women in both the Senate and the House of Representatives for each state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

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Scheduled to take effect after the current National Assembly term concludes in 2027, the bill is subject to review every 16 years. Additionally, it proposes altering Section 91 of the constitution to provide three special seats exclusively for women in the houses of assembly of each state.

During the debate, co-sponsor Joshua Gana highlighted the bill’s goal of addressing the significant under-representation of women at both the national and sub-national legislative levels. The bill successfully passed the second reading following a voice vote.