Women stakeholders in Nasarawa State have called for special parliamentary seats for women in the National Assembly and 36 state Houses of Assembly ahead of the 2027 general election.
The stakeholders made this call during a meeting organised by the League of Women Voters of Nigeria ( NILOWV) in collaboration with the Nasarawa State Chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), on Tuesday in Lafia.
Mrs Veronica Ogbole, Chairperson of the League of Women Voters of Nigeria in the State, emphasised the need for increased representation of women in governance.
“Even some small African countries were rated far better in terms of women representation in governance ahead of Nigeria, the most populous black nation.
” This is not good, and the narrative needs to be changed for the better to boost representation that will help address the challenges facing us,” she said.
Ogbole proposed that one Senate seat, one House of Representatives seat, and three House of Assembly seats be allocated to women in each of the 36 states.
“There are so many issues concerning the welfare of women that cannot scale through at the National Assembly and state houses of assembly because of the smaller number of women to push for them,” she added.
On her part, Hadiza Umar, NAWOJ Chairperson in State, echoed Ogbole’s sentiments, stating that special seats for women would help break barriers and create opportunities for women to excel.
“We will use our various platforms to project things that will help to promote the welfare and wellbeing of women in the state and entire country,” she said.
In her remarks, Silifat Sule, wife of Governor Abdullahi Sule, represented by Mrs Beauty Ebu-Onyawoyi, Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Women’s Affairs, appreciated the organisers and promised to protect the rights of women, children, and other vulnerable groups.
“We urge women to participate in politics no matter the name-calling,” she added.
The meeting was attended by various women groups and women appointed to positions in the Nasarawa State government.
The stakeholders vowed to carry out sensitisation campaigns to enlighten women on the need to support themselves for elective positions in future elections.
