By Christiana Ekpa
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen said on Tuesday that the House was considering reserving 10 percent of elective seats in the National Assembly for women and 5 percent for persons with disability in the ongoing constitution review process.
The bill of passed and signed into law, the special seat for women being advocated for will add an additional 82 members to the National Assembly with 55 members in the House and 28 in the senate.
Speaking at the second Legislative Open Week of the House, Speaker Abbas said reserved-seat representatives would enjoy the same rights, privileges, and committee assignments as their peers, reinforcing their full integration into legislative work”.
Speaking on the ongoing constitutional reform, he said “we are considering 109 amendment bills across various sectors, including electoral, judicial, legislative, and inclusive governance. Twelve electoral reform bills address the scheduling of all general elections on a single day, establish independent candidacy, and create a dedicated commission for local government elections. Judicial reforms encompass 21 bills designed to streamline appellate processes and strengthen judicial independence”.
Speaker Abbas said further that a central feature of the House inclusive governance proposals is the introduction of constitutionally guaranteed reserved seats for women and persons with disabilities, saying “under the draft amendment, ten per cent (10%) of seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives would be set aside for women, apportioned by state to ensure regional balance.
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