Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has outlined a proposed constitutional amendment that would create 74 additional seats for women in the National Assembly and expand women’s representation in state legislatures.
Speaking during the 2026 Law Week of the International Federation of Women Lawyers in Ekiti State, Bamidele said the plan would add 37 seats to the Senate and 37 to the House of Representatives, with one additional woman representative from each state and the Federal Capital Territory in both chambers.
The proposal would also create three reserved seats in each of the 36 state Houses of Assembly. Bamidele said the arrangement was designed to operate for 16 years, equivalent to four electoral cycles, before a formal review.
He argued that the measure was intended to address women’s low representation in elected institutions without displacing current lawmakers. He said constitutional reform required broad legislative agreement and the concurrence of state assemblies.
Bamidele also called for improved access to justice and protection for women and children facing violence or abuse. The reserved seats proposal remains a legislative initiative, not an enacted constitutional change, and its exact text and current stage should be confirmed.
