Opeyemi Bamidele, leader of the senate, says the national assembly is considering a proposal to create 74 additional seats for women in the senate and house of representatives as part of the ongoing review of the 1999 constitution.

Bamidele also relayed that the constitution review committee has proposed three additional seats for women in each state house of assembly.

He said the proposed seats would be reserved exclusively for women without displacing existing electoral seats.

The senate leader spoke on Monday at the 2026 Law Week organised by the Ekiti state chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).

The event, chaired by Ayobami Olowoyo-Richards, had the theme, “Justice in a Changing World: Responding to New Challenges Affecting Women and Children”.

Bamidele, who is vice-chairman of the senate committee on the review of the 1999 constitution, said the proposal was designed to deepen women’s participation in politics and governance.

“A Bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly and for related matters is receiving our attention at the National Assembly,” he said.

“The proposal, as it stands, is meticulous in its design. It seeks to add 37 seats in the Senate and 37 seats in the House of Representatives. This suggests that if finally approved, each state of the federation including FCT will have one additional seat in each of the Houses of the National Assembly.

“This arrangement is proposed to run for a period of 16 years, four electoral cycles, before a comprehensive review. This is a sunset clause designed to ensure sustainability and to allow for the organic development of a more inclusive political culture.”

Bamidele said the national assembly is engaging state houses of assembly to secure their approval, which is required for the constitution amendment to take effect.

He described the proposal as a national reform rather than a partisan initiative, arguing that excluding women from decision-making undermines representative democracy.

“A democracy that systematically excludes over half of its population from the decision-making tables that determine their futures is, at best, a flawed democracy and, at worst, a veiled oligarchy,” he said.

The senate leader said the resolve of the 10th national assembly has also been strengthened by advocacy from prominent government figures, including Oluremi Tinubu, the first lady.

He said the legislature is also considering measures to support women, children and persons with disabilities through healthcare initiatives, educational access and social protection programmes.

Vice President Kashim Shettima has acknowledged the hardship Nigerians are facing as a result of the Federal Government’s economic reforms but appealed to voters to re-elect President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Shettima made the appeal at the APC presidential campaign rally at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, where he defended the administration’s policies, arguing that their benefits were beginning to emerge despite the difficulties they had imposed on citizens.

He compared Tinubu’s approach to the leadership of Singapore’s former Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, saying difficult decisions were sometimes necessary to achieve long-term national development.

The Vice President urged Nigerians to assess the administration’s performance against the economic situation it inherited in 2023, insisting that the reforms should be given more time to produce results.

He also appealed to Cross River voters to support the re-election of Tinubu, Governor Bassey Otu, Deputy Governor Peter Odey and APC candidates contesting legislative seats in 2027.

Governor Otu, who also addressed the rally, highlighted federal infrastructure projects expected to benefit Cross River, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport and the proposed Gulf of Guinea Commission Secretariat in Calabar.

He said the projects could improve transportation, attract investments and create employment opportunities, while urging residents to support the APC at all levels in the next general elections.

Otu also cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as one of the Federal Government’s interventions that could ease the financial burden of tertiary education on families.

The rally was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, members of the National Assembly, APC governors, party officials and other political stakeholders.

A former member of the House of Representatives for Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, Olusegun Williams, has defected from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Williams, a two-term federal lawmaker, announced his defection on Monday in Abeokuta while being received into the PDP alongside his supporters.

Speaking at the event, Williams said he was returning to the PDP, which he described as his original political home.

The former lawmaker said he had seen it all in the APC and was in a better position to explain the party.

“My friends and colleagues counselled me then that Segun, go and join PDP, PDP is the only party. But for some reasons I found myself in APC.

“I won’t say too many words today because my boss has said most of it. But we’ve been there, we’ve seen, we’ve conquered. There is no one in APC today that can explain APC more than me. When it was nothing, we built it up, I have witnesses,” he said.

Williams lamented that politics in the APC had become like a cult, dominated by proxies.

“There are times I will have sleepless nights and think, is this how to do politics like cult? It has now gotten to talks of proxy, proxy and proxies,” he added.

He appreciated the governorship candidate of the PDP, Oladipupo Adebutu, and other party leaders for making his defection possible.

According to him, his decision followed a phone call from Adebutu inviting him to join the PDP, which he accepted after consulting his people.

Williams urged members of the PDP to work together to move the party forward, expressing confidence that the party would win the next governorship election in the state.

“Don’t be scared. They said we’re not going to vote?, they are lying, we are going to vote and be elected as the governor. The way we have been doing it in the past that’s the way we’ll continue to do it,” he added.

Speaking earlier, while welcoming Williams into the party, Adebutu said political parties should be allowed to present their scorecards to the people and seek their support through the democratic process, rather than attempting to weaken opponents.

He said attempts to frustrate their candidates would not stop the party and its activities across the state.

“Today, information is widely available, and people can see what is happening. Naturally, these things affect us, but we will resist them,” Adebutu said.