Abbas targets Dec 2025 for women’s reserved seats, consitutional amendment

Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, says the national assembly is committed to completing the constitution amendment process by December 2025, with gender inclusion as a top priority.

Abbas said this while speaking at a joint session of the 10th National Assembly on June 12, 2025, in celebration of democracy day.

Outlining legislative targets for the remainder of the tenure, Abbas said, “while we celebrate our successes, we remain acutely aware that it is not yet Uhuru.”

“As we enter the second half of our term, our determination is unequivocal: to expedite and finalise the constitutional amendment process by December 2025,” he said.

“Some of our priorities include special reserved seats for women, formal constitutional roles for traditional rulers and legal backing for a 35% affirmative action gender policy.”

“We appeal to the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the Progressive Governors’ Forum to advocate for these essential reforms at the state level.”

The proposed amendments aim to correct gender imbalances in Nigeria’s political representation.

The Reserved Seats for Women bill, currently under consideration, seeks to allocate one additional seat per state for women in both chambers of the national assembly and three special seats per state in the houses of assembly.

The bill, supported by several lawmakers and advocacy groups, is expected to come into effect after the current assembly’s term, pending approval.

Godswill Akpabio, the senate president, has also declared support for the bill.

Nigeria has one of the lowest rates of female representation in Africa, with women occupying less than five percent of seats in the national legislature.

He reaffirmed the house’s commitment to advancing inclusive governance and delivering reforms that reflect the aspirations of all Nigerians.

Since June 2023, the 10th national assembly has reviewed 2,263 bills under its eight-point legislative agenda, with 65.3% reaching Second Reading and 186 passed.