By Chizoba Ogbeche
A coalition of women’s organisations on Monday staged a solidarity rally at the main entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja, pressing lawmakers to hasten the passage of the Special Seats Bill for Women, as preparations intensify for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The rally, marked by chants, placards, and calls for inclusion, underscored growing concerns among women advocates that delays in passing the bill could deny women the opportunity to benefit from the proposed special seats arrangement in the next electoral cycle.
The bill, which seeks to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to provide for special seats for women in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, is among the 44 prioritised constitution alteration bills currently awaiting final voting by the National Assembly.
Founder of the Ene Obi Centre for Development, Comrade Ene Obi, who addressed the gathering, commended the National Assembly for the progress made so far on the proposed legislation but stressed the urgency of concluding the process in time for the 2027 elections. She emphasised that the rally was peaceful and intended to demonstrate women’s collective commitment to democratic engagement.
“A vote for a woman is a vote for life. Women are the hope of life,” she said. “And I want to urge the members of the National Assembly, we are not protesting today, we are holding a rally. We believe in non-violence. We have organised ourselves. We have not besieged the gates of the National Assembly. We are not going to the Assembly unless they invite us.
“We are calling on the members of the National Assembly to come here and address us. We are waiting for them patiently. We are quite orderly. We don’t fight to go into that house because they have allowed us before. We have been there on the campaign for the special seats bill.”
Also speaking, President of the Women in Politics Forum, Barrister Ebere Ifendu, said meaningful electoral integrity could not be achieved without inclusion, arguing that the bill represents an opportunity to correct longstanding structural imbalances affecting women’s political participation.
“So, this is an opportunity to correct every wrong that we have in the constitution. Without deliberate reforms women will continue to be sidelined,” she said.
Vice President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, Zone D (North Central), Mrs Chizoba Ogbeche, urged lawmakers to act swiftly, warning that the timeline for the 2027 elections had already begun with the release of the electoral timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“We are asking them to do the needful and to do it now because the window of opportunity is closing with the commencement of the processes for 2027 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). NASS should not repeat the mistakes of the previous years by not passing this bill,” she appealed.
Adding a disability inclusion perspective, Founder of Cedar Seed Foundation, Lois Auta, called for a five per cent reservation within the special seats framework for women and girls with disabilities, in line with provisions of the Disability Act. She said the demand was rooted in the broader struggle for equity and representation.
“We are here to ask for our rights. Rights for inclusion. Rights for representation. Rights for participation in governance,” she said. “In the Disability Act, five per cent is enshrined for people with disabilities, including women and girls with disabilities. So we want five per cent reservation of special seats for women with disabilities and girls. It is time that we move from exclusion to inclusion.”
Responding to the demonstrators, the Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon Akin Rotimi Jr, assured the groups that their demands would be formally presented to lawmakers for consideration. He noted that the Special Seats Bill was among more than 40 constitution amendment bills currently before the House and pledged that it would be subjected to electronic voting as part of the legislative process.
He also encouraged the women not to relent in their advocacy, describing the 10th National Assembly as a listening parliament receptive to citizens’ concerns.
He further urged them to extend their engagement to members of both chambers of the National Assembly, saying sustained advocacy would help lawmakers better understand the importance of the bill and the expectations of Nigerian women.
The rally comes amid heightened political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, with women’s groups intensifying campaigns for greater representation and inclusion in governance through constitutional reforms.
