Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The House of Representatives has reversed its previous stance on three gender-related bills that failed to pass in the ongoing amendments to the 1999 Constitution.
At Tuesday’s plenary, the Speaker of the lower chamber, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, called for a rescission of the votes on the affected bills after the lawmakers held an executive (closed door) session.
Out of the five gender-related bills, only three bills were put up for revisitation.
These are Bill 36 to “expand the scope of citizenship by registration”; Bill 37 to “provide for affirmative action for women in political party administration”; Bill 38 to “provide criteria for qualification to become an indigene of a state in Nigeria.”
Those dropped are Bill 35 to “provide for a special seat for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly;” and Bill 68 “to give women a quota in the federal and state executive councils or ministerial and commissionership seats.”
Mr Gbajabiamila noted that the three bills would be included in the second batch of amendment bills to be considered in the next four weeks.
After the lawmakers unanimously approved the reversal via voice vote, female members of the House as well as some male counterparts gave the Speaker a standing ovation.
The lawmakers in the two chambers had last Tuesday voted on the 68 recommendations by the Joint Senate and House Special Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.
This development is coming after efforts by Mrs Aisha Buhari, wife to the President failed last week as she stormed the Senate and House chambers in company with female ministers to lobby the lawmakers as the committee laid its report.
Also, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of the Vice-President, Mr Yemi Osinbajo, accompanied by the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, observed as members of the House voted on the recommendations by the committee, and watched as the lawmakers voted against the five bills.
