Constitution review: Women group seeks 50 per cent affirmation to NASS, State Assembly seats

Igbo women group, the Ogbako Umunwanyi Igbo World INC (OUIW), has called on the Constitution Committee to review the 1999 Constitution to create an enabling environment that would no longer constrain women participation in politics especially gaining access to National and State Assembly seats.

Speaking at the weekend in Abuja while presenting a Memorandum to the Committee, Princess Nikky Onyeri, noted that currently, the National Assembly had less than 10 per cent women representation, therefore seeking the number to be increased to 50 per cent.

“It is not fair, in population women are more in number so why should we have such a small number of women barely 10 per cent in decision making bodies,” she questioned.

The group asked the Committee to review Section 48, 49 and 91 of the 1999 Constitution which provides for the composition of the Senate, House of Representatives and the State House of Assembly.

“There is need, as a matter of compulsion to contain a mandatory quota for women in the composition of the Senate in the National Assembly, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly.

“Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, every Senatorial district or Federal constituency established in accordance with the provisions of this part of the chapter shall return one member who shall be directly elected to the Senate or House of Representatives in such a manner as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly,” they stated.

They explained that “We are now in the era of new possibilities where women of high intellectual reputation are hungry and thirsty to exhibit their ideas and strategies in governance to make the nation better.

“We are championing modalities to stop election violence, brutal killings, child abuse, rape, vote-buying, money politics and a host of other atrocities exhibited daily in our country.”

In his response, the Chairman of the Constitution review, the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo Agege commended the women for their participation in the review of the Constitution.

He promised that the Committee was going to do justice to the documents presented.

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Constitution review: Women group seeks 50 per cent affirmation to NASS, state Assembly seats