PLAC addresses importance of Gender equity in democracy

By Abujah Racheal

The Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) says gender equity is fundamental to Nigeria’s democratic future.

The centre called on the National Assembly and Nigerian stakeholders to urgently support constitutional reforms that will guarantee reserved seats for women in the legislature.

The Executive Director of PLAC, Mr Clement Nwankwo, made the call at a high-level policy dialogue on Thursday in Abuja.

Nwankwo decried the persistent underrepresentation of women in elective positions, noting that only three out of 109 senators are women.

“This is not just a statistic, it is a national shame. It shows the systemic exclusion of half of our population from decision-making processes,” he said.

According to him, a bill is before the National Assembly proposing the creation of special seats exclusively for women.

Nwankwo said that the bill proposed one special seat per senatorial district, and up to three additional seats per state.

He said that these seats would exist for four election cycles (16 years) under a sunset clause, after which they would be reviewed.

“This is not about removing men, it is about correcting a historical imbalance,” he said

Nwankwo criticised recent media reports that framed the seat expansion as a budgetary burden. Arguing that the cost of excluding women is far more damaging to the nation’s democracy.

“The real story is not the increase in seats. The real issue is that Nigeria is grappling with the inequity of its democratic system. And it is time to fix it,” he said.

He highlighted the cultural and systemic barriers women faced in politics, ranging from gender stereotypes to male-dominated party structures.

He said that some legislators even trivialise the debate with comments like, “Do you want my wife to leave the house?”

Drawing from successful examples in countries like Rwanda, Uganda, Senegal and Tanzania, Nwankwo said that affirmative action policies had transformed political participation and can do the same for Nigeria.

“There are countries where the committee on women’s affairs is chaired by a woman. In Nigeria, it’s sometimes chaired by a man in his 70s,” he said.

He called on the media, civil society, and international partners to support the bill and raise awareness on its significance.

“When women are in the room, the tone of governance changes. This is not just about equity, it is about building a more accountable, just, and inclusive Nigeria,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other reform proposals under discussion include preventing the swearing-in of elected officials until all court cases are resolved.

The proposals also seek to reduce litigation levels in election disputes to expedite justice.

They also seek to strengthen constitutional backing for Supreme Court rulings on governance issues and restore local government autonomy through inclusive structures that promote gender balance.

Representatives of the National Assembly, the Deputy Speaker’s Office, and the European Union Ambassador attended the event.

They reaffirmed support for gender-inclusive reforms and highlighted Nigeria’s regional commitments to women’s political participation.

Others at the event were the Managing Director of NAN, Mallam Ali Mohammed Ali, Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, representatives of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) amongst others.(NAN)