NASS shoot down provision favouring women in amended constitution

Two of the provisions in the amended constitution have been rejected by the National Assembly/

Both chambers on Tuesday voted against the provision of special seats for women and moving Value Added Tax (VAT), among the 68 clauses added,  to exclusive legislative list.

At the House of Representatives, 209 members voted against moving VAT while 208 members voted against the provision of special seats for women.

While 41 senators voted in favour of the proposed amendment, 44 voted against, thus failing to meet the required two-third (73) membership.

Thirty senators voted for it while 58 voted against it in the upper chamber.

For the House of Representatives, it is two additional seat for each state and the FCT that is to be reserved for women without prejudice to their eligibility to contest for the other seats.

And finally for the Houses of Assembly of each state one additional seat from each of the three Senatorial District is reserved solely for women.

Also, a proposal to include at least 35 of women in political party administration also failed to scale through.

Senate resident Ahmed Lawan told First Lady Aisha Buhari who visited the chambers that the current participation of women in Nigeria’s politics cannot guarantee such demand.

Aisha was seeking greater appointment and accommodation for women politicians in Nigeria.