Nigeria proposes 74 new reserved seats for women in the National Assembly
Each state would gain one woman senator and one woman representative for 16 years. State assemblies still have to agree.
Ado-Ekiti — Nigeria's National Assembly may gain 74 seats reserved for women under a proposal from its Constitution Review Committee, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has said.
Each state and the Federal Capital Territory would gain one extra seat in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives, 37 in each chamber. Each state assembly would gain three women-only seats. No existing seat would be removed.
The arrangement would run for 16 years, or four election cycles, followed by a full review.
Bamidele, vice chairman of the Senate's review committee, described the plan at the 2026 Law Week of the International Federation of Women Lawyers in Ekiti. He called it non-partisan, and said lawmakers were talking to state assemblies, whose agreement is required.
Supporters say reserved seats would address the cost of elections, party nomination practices and discrimination. Critics ask whether they would create lawmakers with a different mandate, and say parties and the electoral system also need reform.
Source: Premium Times via allAfrica, November 2026.
