Anambra Traditional Rulers Council Boss Backs Call for Reserved Seats for Women in Legislature

By Praise Chinecherem

Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council and traditional ruler of Obosi, Igwe Chidubem Iweka, has described the agitation for special legislative seats for women as a just and progressive cause.

Igwe Iweka made the remark when a delegation from the Social and Integral Development Centre (SIDEC) paid him an advocacy visit at his palace in Obosi as part of activities under Project IMPACT – Inclusive Mobilization for Participation, Advocacy, and Civic Transformation.

SIDEC is implementing the project in collaboration with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room with funding support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The project, currently being carried out in Anambra and Imo states, seeks to promote inclusive electoral and governance systems where women, men, youths and persons with disabilities have equal opportunities to occupy elective public offices.

The monarch commended SIDEC and other organizations championing the campaign for special seats for women in legislative chambers across Nigeria.

According to him, women have long been undervalued in leadership roles due to prevailing cultural norms. “This is a just cause because women are often underrated, undermined and underutilized, especially in Africa because of our cultural practices,” he said.

“These days when things appear to be going wrong in society, I believe women will do well if given the opportunity. Women are needed to help salvage the situation. “For fairness and equity, women should be given more opportunities.”

However, the monarch advised women seeking political offices not to neglect their responsibilities to their families and children. “The society is fast disintegrating and women remain pillars of the home. I do not want them to sacrifice their homes for politics,” he said.

“For women whose children are already grown, they may have fewer domestic concerns. I do not see anything wrong with women occupying any elective position.”

Earlier, the Executive Director of SIDEC, Ugochi Ehiahuruike, explained that the proposed bill seeks to amend the Nigerian Constitution to reserve seats for women in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly in order to address the severe underrepresentation of women in governance.

She noted that Nigeria currently has only four female senators, 16 women in the House of Representatives and about 55 women across the 36 State Houses of Assembly.

To bridge the gap, she said the proposal seeks to create 37 additional Senate seats for women—one per state and the Federal Capital Territory—37 seats in the House of Representatives and three seats in each State House of Assembly, one for each senatorial district.

“In total, we are advocating for 108 reserved seats for women. Apart from these, women will still be free to contest other elective positions alongside men,” she said.

Ehiahuruike noted that similar models have been successfully implemented in countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania to boost women’s representation in governance.

She added that the bill, if passed, would promote gender inclusion, bring diverse perspectives into governance and encourage more women to participate in politics.

She clarified that the proposed seats would complement, not replace, existing ones and that women would still have to contest and be elected by voters.

According to her, the constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as approval by at least 24 State Houses of Assembly.

“This is why we are seeking the support of traditional rulers, who are respected royal fathers to many lawmakers that will eventually vote on the bill,” she said.