NASS committed to increasing women’s participation — Bamidele

By Rotimi Ojomoyela ADO-EKITI — Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has said the 10th National Assembly is committed to removing barriers limiting women’s participation in governance through a proposed constitutional amendment seeking special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly. Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, said the proposed legislation was designed to address the persistent under-representation of women in Nigeria’s political institutions and ensure their participation in decisions affecting the country. He spoke as a guest speaker at the 2026 Law Week of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ekiti State Chapter, held in Ado-Ekiti, with the theme, “Justice in a Changing World: Responding to New Challenges Affecting Women and Children”.

The Senate Leader said the proposed constitutional alteration would create 37 additional seats in the Senate and 37 in the House of Representatives, with one seat reserved for women in each state and the Federal Capital Territory. He added that the proposal also provided for three additional seats in each State House of Assembly, without displacing existing legislative seats. According to him, the arrangement is proposed to run for 16 years, covering four electoral cycles, after which its impact would be reviewed. Describing the initiative as a historic intervention rather than a partisan project, Bamidele said a democracy that excluded a significant proportion of its population from decision-making could not claim to be fully representative. He disclosed that the National Assembly had commenced engagements with State Houses of Assembly to secure the constitutionally required concurrence for the proposed amendment. He said the process was being pursued through…