SPECIAL SEATS BILL: Women Protest at National Assembly, Demands Bill Passage

SPECIAL SEATS BILL: Women Protest at National Assembly, Demands Bill Passage

Women groups under the aegis of Women Political Participation (WPP) on Monday protested at the National Assembly calling for passage of the Special Seats Bill for women.

The women, in their numbers, carrying various placards, called for swift passage of the bill to allow inclusion of more women in parliament in the next assembly.

Women Political Participation

Speaking during the protest, one of the leaders, Ene Obi, said the peaceful solidarity march was a collective civic call for inclusive representation and gender-responsive governance in the country.

“We are here to beg members of the National Assembly to pass the bill timely; INEC has released elections timetable; we want increased women participation. Men cannot represent women. We want women to represent themselves.

Women Political Participation

“We want to unmute the voices of women in all levels. We want to invite women to contest in all levels. Women are the hope of the nation,” she said.

The special seats bill, sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu and 12 others seeks to alter Sections 48, 49, 71, and 117 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to create one “Special seat reserved exclusively for women in the Senate and House of Representatives for each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory .”

It proposes to create one senatorial seat and one House seat in each state and the FCT.

The bill also proposes to alter Section 91 of the constitution to provide for three special seats “Reserved exclusively” for women in the State Houses of Assembly.