The Bill to set aside special parliamentary seats to women has got huge backing in Rivers State. The Bill proposes one senate seat per state for a woman (total 37), plus one seat per state for the House of Representatives (also 37).
This is as women leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state on Tuesday, November 18,2025, reaffirmed their commitment to expanded political participation for women. They also declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
The Rivers women said the Bill sought to give the daughters of Nigeria a future, and said the ruling party was creating a legacy with the Bill.
Speaking at the Rivers State APC Women Summit, held at Lemaco Event Centre, Ada-George, with the theme; “Effectiveness of Women in Politics,” the Rivers APC Women leader, Amadi Darling, said the gathering was aimed at deepening women’s involvement in governance beyond election cycles.
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“This summit is about transformative leadership that touches every aspect of life,” she said, stressing that women must continue to play active roles in shaping community development. She said empowering women strengthens economies and invests in a future where every woman contributes meaningfully to the Renewed Hope agenda.
Darling thanked women leaders across the state for their dedication and praise Maureen Tamuno, former ambassador to Jamaica, for her guidance and support to the women of Rivers State.
The national women leader of the APC, Mary Alile Idele, applauded the national leadership of the party for what she described as deliberate policies promoting women’s inclusion.
She commended President Tinubu and the first lady, Oluremi Tinubu, for initiatives that she said have shown that APC is a party where women are not only welcome but valued and elevated.
Idele said the progress of Nigerian women remained central to national development, adding that the women’s wing of the party stood solidly behind the President today, tomorrow, and into 2027.
She urged women to become active participants rather than spectators in politics, insisting that their voices matter in every ward, in every local government and in every constituency.
The APC women leader also declared support for the ‘Special Seats for Women Bill’ before the National Assembly, describing it as a matter of justice, representation, and the future of our daughters.
Delivering the keynote address, Inime Aguma, a former Commissioner in Rivers State, argued that no democracy can thrive when half its population is underrepresented.
Citing data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women, she noted that countries with higher levels of female political participation invest more in health, education, clean water and social protection.
Aguma lamented Nigeria’s low representation figures—four women in the Senate and 17 in the House of Representatives—saying the disparity is the result of structural barriers such as high campaign costs, violence, and patriarchal party systems.
“When leadership pipelines exclude women, nations lose productivity and growth,” she said.
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She did not however explain why often, women do not stand behind other women in politics in times of crisis like in the case of Natasha Hadiza Akpoti of Kogi State.
Tony Okocha, Rivers APC chairman, praised women for their resilience, recalling how female voters often remained at polling units until results were counted and announced.
He described the state chapter as gender-sensitive, noting that local government councils have female chairpersons and several women in legislative arms.
Okocha urged party members to remain steadfast ahead of 2027, insisting there is no vacancy in Aso Rock and reiterating support for the President’s second-term bid.
The summit drew women from across the state and beyond, with speakers repeatedly emphasising unity, political mobilization, and women’s leadership as essential to Nigeria’s democratic progress.
