By Beatrice Gondyi Bauchi
In preparation for active women participation come 2027 general elections, the League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV), has organized a town hall meeting to create awareness among Nigerian women on the proposed Special Seats Bill currently before the National Assembly.
The town hall meeting on advancing women’s inclusion and representation in leadership and political processses in Nigeria was held at professor Iya Abubakar resource centre, Bauchi.
The meeting, also aimed at sensitizing women on the importance of the bill, which seeks to increase female representation in Nigeria’s legislative chambers through constitutional amendment.
Speaking during the event, the director of strategy NILOWV, Dr. Victoria Daaor explained that her team is in Bauchi State to create awareness and seek support for the Special Seats Bill.
Dr Daaor who is also the technical lead of the project in Bauchi, appreciated the positive response so far concerning the Bill.
“We are in Bauchi to sensitize the populace of Bauchi, garner support and then advocate relevant stakeholders on the additional reserved seats for women in the national assembly.”
“We just finished the town hall meeting here and over the next one week we will be traveling to the three senatorial zones with the same message.”
“The response has been truly amazing across board. We have seen pictures of various stakeholders even in the remotest of communities coming out to lend their voice. As a person I think the time has come for women.”
She said the Bill seeks to amend the constitution to create opportunity for additional reserved seat, adding that the additional is important because it is not taking anything from what already exists.
In her welcoming remarks, the chairperson of NILOWV in Bauchi, Hajiya Zainab Mohammed,appreciated the invited guests, she said the meeting is mainly to deliberate on women inclusion in governance. She added that at the state level, they are sensitizing and mobilizing support for the Bill.
“We are embarking on massive sensitization and also to let the men understand what the Bill seeks to achieve and not to take over their seats, no!”
“It is additional seat on the one existing. That is what we want people to understand, we are there for women, for women voice to be heard.”
The Special Seats Bill, sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Kalu, proposes the creation of one additional Senate seat and one House of Representatives seat per state—a total of 74 new seats—for four electoral cycles (16 years). These seats will be exclusively contested by women candidates and will not affect existing constituencies or statutory zones.
Public hearings on the bill are scheduled to begin in July across the six geopolitical zones, NILOWV is mobilizing women across the country to participate in these hearings, beginning with town hall meetings across the country, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Women Affairs and the Office of the First Lady.
The campaign is supported by the United Nations and executed in partnership with organizations like the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), and other civil society organizations (CSOs).
Participants at the town hall meeting included CSOs, PWD, religious leaders, traditional leaders, youth groups politicians, ministry of woman affairs among others.
Various speakers in their goodwill messages commended the Bill saying it is a right step in the right direction.
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