By: Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has called for the swift passage of the proposed Women’s Special Seats Bill, saying Nigeria can no longer ignore the underrepresentation of women in governance if the country is to deepen democracy and accelerate national development.
The Minister made the call in a goodwill message delivered on her behalf by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Asanye Nko Esuabana, at the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, for institutionalising the National Assembly Open Week, describing it as a landmark platform for promoting transparency, accountability, citizen engagement and democratic governance.
She said the presentation of the 10th National Assembly’s scorecard reflected Nigeria’s growing democratic maturity, but stressed that the country’s democratic journey must be strengthened through deliberate policies that guarantee greater inclusion of women in elective positions.
The Minister disclosed that sustained high-level engagements with governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections had yielded significant results, including the emergence of female candidates in states that previously had little or no female representation.
She specifically cited Imo and Katsina States, while noting that Lagos State had once again produced a female deputy governorship candidate.
According to her, the developments demonstrate that strong political will, backed by sustained advocacy, can dismantle long-standing barriers to women’s participation in politics.
On the proposed Women’s Special Seats Bill, the Minister said the Ministry would continue to work closely with the National Assembly, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to ensure that the constitutional reforms achieve lasting national impact.
Addressing concerns over the proposed Electoral College model for the bill, Sulaiman-Ibrahim said although the legislative mechanism had evolved through compromise, the objective of expanding women’s representation remained unchanged.
She explained that the proposal to create 12 additional Senate seats, 37 House of Representatives seats and 108 State Houses of Assembly seats under a 16-year sunset clause represented a strategic opportunity to reverse decades of systemic exclusion of women from legislative decision-making.
To protect the credibility of the initiative, the Minister advocated robust legal provisions in the Electoral Act to insulate the Electoral College from political manipulation and ensure that female legislators remain accountable to the Nigerian people.
She also announced the revival of Women Political Empowerment Centres across the six geopolitical zones.
The centres, to be managed in collaboration with experienced civil society organisations, will provide leadership development, technical training, mentorship, campaign support and capacity-building programmes for aspiring women leaders across political parties.
The Minister said the initiative represented a new national approach to women’s political participation that transcended partisan interests and focused on strengthening democracy and inclusive governance.
She said, “While the mechanism has changed, the mission remains uncompromised. The proposed Women’s Special Seats Bill provides Nigeria with a practical and historic opportunity to end the systemic exclusion of women from legislative decision-making.”
Sulaiman-Ibrahim added, “Women’s political empowerment transcends partisan politics. It is a national development imperative that demands collective commitment from government, political parties, civil society and every Nigerian.”
She urged stakeholders to use the opportunity provided by the National Assembly Open Week to build national consensus around constitutional reforms that would guarantee inclusive representation and further strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
