Women groups demand urgent passage of special seats bill, raise concerns over electoral reforms

By Blessing Bature 

A coalition of women’s rights and democracy advocacy groups has called on the National Assembly and the Federal Government to urgently support and fast-track the passage of the Special Seats Bill, describing it as a democratic necessity rather than an advocacy demand.

Speaking on behalf of the consortium, Ebere Ifendu said the bill offers a constitutionally grounded and non-disruptive solution to Nigeria’s poor record on women’s political representation. 

She noted that Nigerian women continue to face political violence, the monetisation of politics, exclusion from party structures and a shrinking civic space, making affirmative legislative intervention inevitable.

“The Special Seats Bill has moved beyond advocacy, it is now a democratic necessity and a political win for Nigeria’s 10th Assembly and all its actors,” Ifendu said. 

“Nigeria cannot continue to conduct elections while systematically excluding half of its population from decision-making. Affirmative legislative intervention is no longer optional; it is the only realistic path to reversing Nigeria’s consistently abysmal record on women’s political representation.”

The groups, including the Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), 100 Women Lobby Group, Women in Media, Safe-Point and Care Initiative and other democratic advocacy organisations, also expressed grave concern over recent political developments which they said expose the widening gap between Nigeria’s democratic commitments and actual practice.

According to the coalition, three critical issues currently define Nigeria’s commitment to inclusion and democratic reform: the Special Seats Bill, the composition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention Committee, and the recently passed Electoral Act Amendment Bill by the Senate. 

They warned that taken together, these developments pose a defining test of the country’s sincerity on representation and reform.

While acknowledging the urgency shown by lawmakers in addressing electoral reforms, the groups expressed strong concern over provisions in the amended Electoral Act that weaken the mandatory electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal. 

They described electronic transmission as a key safeguard for transparency and public trust, warning that any rollback could encourage manipulation and increase post-election disputes.

“Electronic transmission has become one of the most important safeguards for electoral integrity,” the coalition said, urging the National Assembly to reverse the provision and fully restore mandatory electronic transmission as a non-negotiable requirement for credible elections.

The groups also lamented what they described as a culture of silence among women politicians across party lines amid ongoing political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 general elections, calling on them to show greater political leadership.

The groups warned that Nigeria stands at a crossroads, stressing that democratic credibility cannot coexist with systemic exclusion while calling on political parties, the legislature and the executive to move beyond rhetoric and demonstrate commitment through concrete action.

“A democracy that excludes women is not merely incomplete it is unstable, unjust and unsustainable,” she stated. “Nigeria must choose inclusion, not convenience; reform, not retreat.”