Abuja, July 9, 2025
The Nigerian House of Representatives has proposed a constitutional amendment to reserve 10% of National Assembly seats for women and 5% for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas announced the initiative during the 10th Assembly’s second Open Week in Abuja. If approved, this structure would add 55 reserved seats for women and PWDs in the House and 27 in the Senate, increasing the total number of legislators from 469 to 552 .
The proposed seats would be filled through direct elections on separate ballots, with PWD seats nominated by accredited disability groups. These representatives would enjoy the same rights and committee roles as other members .
The move comes as Nigeria’s female parliamentary representation has stayed below 5%, despite women making up half of the population. Speaker Abbas cited successful quota systems in countries like Rwanda and Senegal, which rapidly expanded female representation after introducing reserved seats .
In addition to the gender and PWD quotas, the House is considering 109 constitutional amendments, including reforms on elections, judicial independence, fiscal accountability, and local government funding .
The Speaker urged support from State Assemblies and governors to pass the amendment before the end of the Assembly’s tenure in December 2025.
