The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, says the National Assembly Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has proposed the creation of 74 additional seats for women in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Bamidele, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, disclosed that the proposal includes three additional seats reserved for women in each State House of Assembly, without affecting existing electoral positions.
He made this known on Monday at the 2026 Law Week organised by the Ekiti State Chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
The event, chaired by Ayobami Olowoyo-Richards, was held under the theme, “Justice in a Changing World: Responding to New Challenges Affecting Women and Children.”
Bamidele attended alongside 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.
He said a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly was currently receiving attention at the National Assembly.
According to him, the proposed amendment is the outcome of extensive consultations and consensus-building as part of efforts to ensure a deliberate and inclusive constitutional review process.
Bamidele explained that the proposal seeks to create 37 additional seats in the Senate and another 37 in the House of Representatives, giving each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory one additional seat in both chambers.
He added that the committee had also proposed three additional seats for women in each State House of Assembly, stressing that the initiative would increase women’s representation without displacing existing lawmakers or constituencies.
The Senate Leader described the proposal as a non-partisan initiative aimed at strengthening representative democracy and addressing the underrepresentation of women in political decision-making.
He argued that a democracy that excludes a significant proportion of its population from decision-making processes cannot fully reflect the principles of inclusive governance.
Bamidele also said the 10th National Assembly’s commitment to the initiative had received support from key stakeholders, including the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Speaking on the protection of women and children, the lawmaker stressed the need for legislation to address emerging threats that cross geographical boundaries and exploit weaknesses in existing legal and institutional systems.
He maintained that justice should go beyond constitutional promises and provisions in law books, insisting that it must be accessible, affordable, timely and effective.
