Nigeria is set to witness a major shift in legislative representation as a proposed constitutional amendment seeks to increase women’s participation in governance through the creation of special legislative seats across the country.
The bill, currently under consideration, proposes the introduction of additional seats exclusively for women in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly. The initiative is designed as a temporary affirmative action measure aimed at addressing the long-standing underrepresentation of women in elected offices and promoting inclusive governance.
12 Additional Women Senators Proposed
One of the key provisions of the amendment is the alteration of Section 48 of the Constitution to create 12 new senatorial seats reserved exclusively for women.
While the existing structure of three senators per state and one senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) remains unchanged, the bill introduces two additional female senators for each of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.
Under the proposal, these seats will rotate among states within each zone based on guidelines to be established through an Act of the National Assembly. The special senatorial positions will not be subject to the traditional constituency delimitation requirements that govern regular Senate seats.
If passed, the provision will take effect from the first general election after the amendment comes into force and will be subject to review after 16 years.
House of Representatives to Gain 37 Additional Women Members
The bill also seeks to amend Section 49 of the Constitution by creating one additional seat for a woman in each of the 36 states and the FCT.
This would increase the number of members in the House of Representatives by 37, while retaining the existing 360 constituency-based seats.
These additional representatives will be elected through a special Electoral College system and will serve with the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as other members of the House.
State Assemblies to Add Three Women Per State
At the state level, the amendment proposes significant changes to Section 91 of the Constitution.
Each State House of Assembly would receive three additional seats reserved for women, with one representative elected from each senatorial district in the state.
With 36 states in the federation, the proposal would create a total of 108 additional seats for women across the country’s State Houses of Assembly.
The bill states that these positions will function as special constituencies and will not affect existing constitutional limits regarding the size of state legislatures.
Electoral College System for Election
A major feature of the proposed amendment is the introduction of an indirect election process through Electoral Colleges.
For elections into the Senate and House of Representatives special seats, Electoral Colleges will be constituted in each state and the FCT. Membership will include elected Local Government Chairpersons, Vice-Chairpersons, Councillors, members of State Houses of Assembly, serving members of the House of Representatives, and Senators from the respective states.
For State Assembly special seats, a similar Electoral College structure will be used.
All elections will be conducted and supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with voting conducted through secret ballots. Each Electoral College member will be entitled to one vote.
Eligibility and Recall Procedures
Only female candidates nominated by registered political parties will be eligible to contest the special seats. Candidates must also satisfy all constitutional qualifications required for membership of the National Assembly or State Houses of Assembly.
The amendment further introduces a unique recall mechanism. Unlike regular legislators, holders of the special seats may only be recalled through their respective Electoral Colleges. Such a process would require a petition supported by at least half of the Electoral College members, followed by verification by INEC and approval by two-thirds of members through a secret ballot.
Temporary Measure to Promote Inclusion
According to the explanatory memorandum attached to the bill, the proposed special seats are intended as a temporary intervention to improve women’s representation in Nigeria’s legislative institutions.
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Details of constitutional amendments to provide an additional 12 women senators, 37 women representatives, and 3 women per state house via the Electoral College
Senate (Alteration of Section 48)
Original provision: The Senate consists of three Senators from each of the 36 States + one from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (total 109).
New provision (substituted Section 48):
- (a) Retains the original 3 Senators per State + 1 from FCT.
- (b) Adds two additional Senators from each of the six geo-political zones, who must be women and elected in accordance with the new Section 77A (via Electoral College, with rotation among States in the zone as prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly).
Key details:
- Total additional seats: 2 × 6 zones = 12 additional women Senators.
- Rotation of the extra seats among States within each geo-political zone (order, pairing, transition, etc.) to be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.
- The extra seats are treated as special senatorial seats for geo-political zones (delimitation rules for ordinary seats do not apply).
- Provisions take effect at the first general election after commencement and are reviewed after 16 years.
House of Representatives (Alteration of Section 49)
Original provision: 360 members representing Federal constituencies of nearly equal population (no constituency spans more than one State).
New provision (substituted Section 49):
- (a) Retains the original 360 constituency-based members.
- (b) Adds one additional member for each State and the Federal Capital Territory, who must be a woman and elected in accordance with the new Section 77A (via Electoral College).
Key details:
- Total additional seats: 36 States + 1 FCT = 37 additional women Representatives.
- The extra seats are treated as special Federal constituencies for the States/FCT (ordinary delimitation rules do not apply).
- Provisions take effect at the first general election after commencement and are reviewed after 16 years.
State Houses of Assembly (Alteration of Section 91)
Original provision: A State House of Assembly consists of 3 or 4 times the number of Federal constituencies in the State (minimum 24, maximum 40 members), divided to reflect nearly equal population as far as possible.
New provision (new subsections (2)–(4) inserted after subsection (1)):
- (a) Retains the original constituency-based members.
- (b) Adds three additional members per State, being one woman elected from each of the three Senatorial districts in the State, in accordance with the new Section 117A (via Electoral College).
Key details:
- Total additional seats: 3 women per State House of Assembly (one per Senatorial district).
- These are treated as additional special State constituencies (ordinary delimitation/size rules do not apply).
- Provisions take effect at the first general election after commencement and are reviewed after 16 years.
Common Provisions for All Special Seats (Senate, House of Reps, State Assemblies)
- Election method: Indirect election by Electoral College (not direct constituency election). INEC conducts and supervises all such elections.
- For Senate & House of Representatives (new Section 77A): A State Electoral College per State (or FCT Electoral College). Composition:
- All elected LGA Chairpersons & Vice-Chairpersons.
- All elected LGA Councillors.
- All members of the State House of Assembly.
- All House of Representatives members from the State.
- All Senators from the State.
- (FCT version uses Area Councils instead of LGAs.)
- For State Houses of Assembly (new Section 117A): Identical State Electoral College composition per State.
- Candidates: Must be women, sponsored by registered political parties. Must meet the usual qualification/disqualification rules (Sections 65/66 for National Assembly; 106/107 for State Assemblies).
- Voting: One vote per Electoral College member; secret ballot.
- Detailed rules: An Act of the National Assembly will prescribe procedures (accreditation, quorum, voting, collation, results declaration, tie-breaking, vacancies, by-elections, substitution, withdrawal, campaign finance, election petitions, transparent party nomination processes, rotation for Senate seats, etc.). The Act cannot alter the Electoral College composition set in the Constitution.
- Status of elected women: Same tenure, rights, privileges, immunities, and obligations as members elected to ordinary seats.
- Vacancies: Filled as prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.
- Recall: Special procedure via the relevant Electoral College (petition by at least half its members → INEC verification → approval by at least two-thirds of members via secret ballot). Ordinary recall rules do not apply.
- Other consequential changes: Updates to Sections 69 (recall), 71/72 (Senatorial districts/Federal constituencies), 76/116 (election timing), 112/113 (State constituencies), 285 (pre-election matters/election petitions — “election” now includes these indirect elections), 318 (new definitions for “additional special seat”, “electoral college”, “geo-political zone”), First Schedule (new Part IA listing the six geo-political zones and their States), and Third Schedule (INEC powers now explicitly cover these special seats via Electoral College).
Explanatory Memorandum summary: The bill introduces these additional special seats for women as a temporary special measure to promote women’s representation in the legislature and strengthen inclusive governance.
The measure is expected to strengthen inclusive governance, encourage broader participation in politics, and help bridge the gender gap in elected public offices. All provisions relating to the additional seats will be reviewed after 16 years to assess their effectiveness and future relevance.
