Lawmakers reviewing the constitution have proposed 74 additional seats reserved for women in the National Assembly, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said on Monday.
Bamidele outlined the plan at the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Ekiti State chapter’s Law Week, and in a statement from his media office.
The proposal would add 37 seats in the Senate and 37 in the House of Representatives, giving each state and the Federal Capital Territory an additional seat in each chamber if approved.
It would also create three seats reserved for women in each state House of Assembly, without displacing existing seats. Bamidele said the arrangement would run for 16 years, four electoral cycles, before a comprehensive review.
The special-seats bill is still part of the ongoing constitutional amendment process. It is not an approved change to the composition of the legislatures.
Bamidele, who is vice-chairman of the Senate’s constitution review committee, said lawmakers were engaging state Houses of Assembly because their concurrence was needed for the reform to take effect.
Sources: Channels Television; Vanguard
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