The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this on Monday, explaining that the proposal formed part of the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly.
Bamidele, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution, said the proposal would provide 37 additional seats in the Senate and another 37 in the House of Representatives, with each state and the Federal Capital Territory entitled to one additional seat in each chamber.
He made the disclosure while speaking at the 2026 Law Week organised by the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ekiti State Chapter, with the theme, “Justice in a Changing World: Responding to New Challenges Affecting Women and Children.”
The event was chaired by the Ekiti State FIDA Chairperson, Mrs Ayobami Olowoyo-Richards, and attended by the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Information and National Orientation, Steve Fatoba, and the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, among other dignitaries.
Bamidele said a bill seeking to amend the Constitution to provide special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly was receiving attention from the National Assembly.
According to him, the proposal also includes the creation of three additional seats in each State House of Assembly, all reserved exclusively for women, without displacing existing constituencies or elected representatives.
He explained that the proposed arrangement would operate for 16 years, covering four electoral cycles, after which a comprehensive review would be conducted.
The provision, he noted, was designed as a sunset clause to encourage greater female participation in politics while allowing time for a more inclusive political culture to develop.
The Senate Leader described the initiative as the outcome of extensive consultations and consensus-building among stakeholders, stressing that the constitutional review process was deliberately commenced early to allow adequate consideration of the proposals.
He said the National Assembly was engaging State Houses of Assembly to secure their concurrence, which is constitutionally required for the amendment to become effective.
Bamidele maintained that the initiative was not a partisan political project but a necessary reform aimed at strengthening representative democracy.
“The rationale is anchored on a simple, yet profound, principle of constitutional law: the foundational precept of representative democracy,” he said.
He added that a democratic system that systematically excludes a significant proportion of its population from decision-making processes risked undermining the principle of equal representation.
Bamidele also acknowledged the advocacy of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and other stakeholders in promoting women’s participation and inclusion in governance.
He said the 10th National Assembly recognised the need for legislative interventions that would improve access to healthcare, education and social protection for vulnerable groups, including women, children and persons with disabilities.
Beyond political representation, the Senate Leader called for stronger legal protections for women and children against emerging forms of abuse and exploitation.
He emphasised that justice should not remain merely a constitutional promise or a provision in statutory laws but must be accessible, affordable, timely and effective.
“A woman who suffers domestic violence must be able to seek protection without intimidation or social condemnation. A child who experiences abuse must be heard, protected from further harm, and provided with appropriate support,” he said.
He further stressed the need to ensure that victims of abuse have access to legal assistance, medical care and psychosocial support, while perpetrators are held accountable in accordance with due process and the rule of law.
The proposed special legislative seats, if approved through the constitutional amendment process, would introduce a time-bound affirmative representation arrangement aimed at addressing the longstanding underrepresentation of women in Nigeria’s legislative institutions.
