36,000 Bauchi Women Urge National Assembly To Pass Reserved Seats Bill For Greater Female Representation

No fewer than 36,000 women in Bauchi State have called on the National Assembly to pass the Reserved Seats Bill to boost women’s participation in governance.

The women, under the Nigerian League of Women Voters, submitted signatures to the House of Representatives in support of the bill. Chairperson of the league, Hajiya Zainab Mohammed, confirmed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday.

According to her, the organisation embarked on awareness campaigns and town hall meetings to mobilise support for women’s inclusion in politics. She noted that men and youths also backed the demand, while women were urged to show resilience and courage to contest elective offices, particularly at the grassroots.

“Intimidation and financial constraints remain the major barriers women face in politics, alongside religion and tradition,” Mohammed explained, stressing that women constitute a significant portion of Nigeria’s electorate and have been pivotal to the country’s democracy.

In Jigawa and Gombe States, women activists echoed similar sentiments, demanding exclusive reserved seats to end marginalisation. Jigawa Women Consultative Forum Chairperson, Balaraba Abdullahi, emphasised unity among women, warning that division, envy, and jealousy have often hindered women’s rise in leadership.

She added that increased financial and moral support could encourage more women to vie for political offices.

Political analyst Mustapha Yunusa, from Gombe, described the Reserved Seats Bill as a corrective step to address underrepresentation. He argued that with women occupying less than 10% of seats in the national assembly, Nigeria must follow the example of developed democracies by guaranteeing female representation.

Yunusa cited the legacies of pioneers like Margaret Ekpo, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and Gambo Sawaba, noting that their fight for inclusion laid the foundation for today’s advocacy. He criticised the rejection of gender bills in 2022 as a setback, insisting that legal reforms are the only way to ensure women are not sidelined in governance.

“Reserved seats are no longer a luxury; they are a necessity,” he said, urging lawmakers to revisit and pass the bill to secure meaningful reforms.