- Akin Rotimi introduced a bill to create six new seats for women and persons with disabilities in the House of Representatives
- Special seats for women and persons with disabilities to be filled through an electoral college system, ensuring representation for these groups in the Green Chamber
- The bill would amend the 1999 constitution to add six special seats, one for each special interest group, distributed across Nigeria's six geo-political zones
A bill being reviewed by the House of Representatives seeks to create six special seats for women and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the Green Chamber.
The constitution amendment bill, sponsored by Akin Rotimi, the House spokesperson, specified that the amendment applies only to the House of Representatives and does not affect the Senate.
Titled, “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) (Six Special Seats for Special Interest Groups) Bill, 2024 (HB.1811),” the bill was presented during a plenary session on Wednesday, November 30.
Aspirants for special seats to undergo grassroots elections, others
According to the 1999 constitution, the House of Representatives is granted 360 seats. Section 49 of the Constitution states:
“Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the House of Representatives shall consist of three hundred and sixty members representing constituencies of nearly equal population as far as possible, provided that no constituency shall fall within more than one State”.
The bill aims to amend the aforementioned section by changing the words, “three hundred and sixty members representing constituencies of nearly equal population as far as possible, provided that no constituency shall fall within more than one state.”
To “three hundred and sixty-six members representing constituencies of nearly equal population as far as possible, provided that no constituency shall fall within more than one state, and six members representing special interest groups.”
“There shall be established in the House of Representatives, six special seats for each of the special interest groups, namely, women and persons living with disabilities, distributed evenly across the six geo-political zones,” the bill reads.
“Aspirants to these special seats shall meet all other qualifications for regular seats in the House of Representatives and shall be allowed to stand for election by an electoral college consisting of all members of the National Association of such a special group.
“The aspirants shall emerge through a process of election from the grassroots in each state, after which state candidates shall emerge through voting by the electoral college.
“There shall be a regional electoral college for each geo-political zone, consisting of all the National Officers of the Association from the states within the zone, which shall determine the final persons to emerge as representatives for the special seats.
“The special seats shall be filled by persons of the respective special interest groups, and they shall serve for the same term, and enjoy all benefits as other members of the House of Representatives,” the bill read.
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Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Nigerian pastor, Apostle Femi Lazarus advocated against the establishment of an armed unit for the Federal Road Safety Corps.
The proposed bill has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives, receiving unanimous support from members.