Imran Muhammad@Imranmuhdz
Details of constitutional amendments to provide an additional 12 women senators, 37 women representatives, and 3 women per state house via the Electoral College
Senate (Alteration of Section 48)
Original provision: The Senate consists of three Senators from each of the 36 States + one from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (total 109).
New provision (substituted Section 48):
• (a) Retains the original 3 Senators per State + 1 from FCT.
• (b) Adds two additional Senators from each of the six geo-political zones, who must be women and elected in accordance with the new Section 77A (via Electoral College, with rotation among States in the zone as prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly).
Key details:
• Total additional seats: 2 × 6 zones = 12 additional women Senators.
• Rotation of the extra seats among States within each geo-political zone (order, pairing, transition, etc.) to be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.
• The extra seats are treated as special senatorial seats for geo-political zones (delimitation rules for ordinary seats do not apply).
• Provisions take effect at the first general election after commencement and are reviewed after 16 years.
House of Representatives (Alteration of Section 49)
Original provision: 360 members representing Federal constituencies of nearly equal population (no constituency spans more than one State).
New provision (substituted Section 49):
• (a) Retains the original 360 constituency-based members.
• (b) Adds one additional member for each State and the Federal Capital Territory, who must be a woman and elected in accordance with the new Section 77A (via Electoral College).
Key details:
• Total additional seats: 36 States + 1 FCT = 37 additional women Representatives.
• The extra seats are treated as special Federal constituencies for the States/FCT (ordinary delimitation rules do not apply).
• Provisions take effect at the first general election after commencement and are reviewed after 16 years.
State Houses of Assembly (Alteration of Section 91)
Original provision: A State House of Assembly consists of 3 or 4 times the number of Federal constituencies in the State (minimum 24, maximum 40 members), divided to reflect nearly equal population as far as possible.
New provision (new subsections (2)–(4) inserted after subsection (1)):
• (a) Retains the original constituency-based members.
• (b) Adds three additional members per State, being one woman elected from each of the three Senatorial districts in the State, in accordance with the new Section 117A (via Electoral College).
Key details:
• Total additional seats: 3 women per State House of Assembly (one per Senatorial district).
• These are treated as additional special State constituencies (ordinary delimitation/size rules do not apply).
• Provisions take effect at the first general election after commencement and are reviewed after 16 years.
Common Provisions for All Special Seats (Senate, House of Reps, State Assemblies)
• Election method: Indirect election by Electoral College (not direct constituency election). INEC conducts and supervises all such elections.
• For Senate & House of Representatives (new Section 77A): A State Electoral College per State (or FCT Electoral College). Composition:
• All elected LGA Chairpersons & Vice-Chairpersons.
• All elected LGA Councillors.
• All members of the State House of Assembly.
• All House of Representatives members from the State.
• All Senators from the State.
• (FCT version uses Area Councils instead of LGAs.)
• For State Houses of Assembly (new Section 117A): Identical State Electoral College composition per State.
• Candidates: Must be women, sponsored by registered political parties. Must meet the usual qualification/disqualification rules (Sections 65/66 for National Assembly; 106/107 for State Assemblies).
• Voting: One vote per Electoral College member; secret ballot.
• Detailed rules: An Act of the National Assembly will prescribe procedures (accreditation, quorum, voting, collation, results declaration, tie-breaking, vacancies, by-elections, substitution, withdrawal, campaign finance, election petitions, transparent party nomination processes, rotation for Senate seats, etc.). The Act cannot alter the Electoral College composition set in the Constitution.
• Status of elected women: Same tenure, rights, privileges, immunities, and obligations as members elected to ordinary seats.
• Vacancies: Filled as prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.
• Recall: Special procedure via the relevant Electoral College (petition by at least half its members → INEC verification → approval by at least two-thirds of members via secret ballot). Ordinary recall rules do not apply.
• Other consequential changes: Updates to Sections 69 (recall), 71/72 (Senatorial districts/Federal constituencies), 76/116 (election timing), 112/113 (State constituencies), 285 (pre-election matters/election petitions — “election” now includes these indirect elections), 318 (new definitions for “additional special seat”, “electoral college”, “geo-political zone”), First Schedule (new Part IA listing the six geo-political zones and their States), and Third Schedule (INEC powers now explicitly cover these special seats via Electoral College).
Explanatory Memorandum summary: The bill introduces these additional special seats for women as a temporary special measure to promote women’s representation in the legislature and strengthen inclusive governance.
