National Assembly is considering a proposal to create 74 additional seats exclusively for women in the Senate and House of Representatives as part of the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.
Gatekeepers News reports that Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this on Monday, November 2, 2026, while speaking at the 2026 Law Week organised by the Ekiti State chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
Bamidele, who is also Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the proposal would provide 37 additional seats in the Senate and another 37 in the House of Representatives.
Under the arrangement, each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory would have one additional seat in each chamber, reserved exclusively for women without displacing existing representatives.
He also disclosed that the constitution review committee had proposed three additional seats for women in each of the 36 state Houses of Assembly.
According to him, the proposed arrangement would remain in place for 16 years, covering four electoral cycles, before a comprehensive review.
Bamidele described the proposal as a deliberate effort to improve women’s participation in political leadership and decision-making.
He said, “A Bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly and for related matters is receiving our attention at the National Assembly.”
He added that the proposal was the outcome of extensive consultations and consensus-building among stakeholders.
The Senate leader said lawmakers were engaging state Houses of Assembly to secure the required approval for the proposed constitutional amendment.
He noted that the support of the state legislatures was necessary to advance the proposal, adding that the initiative was not intended to serve any political party’s interest.
Bamidele said, “A democracy that systematically excludes over half of its population from the decision-making tables that determine their futures is, at best, a flawed democracy and, at worst, a veiled oligarchy.”
He further said advocacy by prominent government figures, including First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, had strengthened the resolve of the 10th National Assembly to pursue measures aimed at improving women’s representation.
Beyond political representation, Bamidele called for stronger legislative protection for women, children and persons with disabilities through improved access to healthcare, education and social protection programmes.
He also stressed the need to ensure that victims of domestic violence and child abuse had access to legal assistance, medical care and psychosocial support, while perpetrators were held accountable in accordance with the law.
The proposal forms part of the ongoing constitutional review process, which includes other proposed reforms to Nigeria’s political and governance structures.
