Hajia Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim, newly elected Deputy National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has reiterated the call for the creation of reserved legislative seats for women, describing the move as urgent to end their long-standing exclusion from political decision-making in Nigeria.

Speaking to reporters on Monday ahead of this week’s National Assembly votes on the constitutional amendment exercise, Ibrahim decried the persistent marginalisation of women in politics, highlighting the structural barriers that have kept them from meaningful participation.

“Politics is a game of numbers. Without representation, women’s voices are not heard. This situation is unacceptable in a modern democracy,” Mrs Ibrahim, who is also the Deputy National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said.

She pointed out that women currently hold only four of 109 Senate seats and 17 of 360 House of Representatives seats. In roughly 13 states, women have no representation at all in state Houses of Assembly.

According to Ibrahim, these figures underscore a systemic exclusion that has kept women away from decision-making tables for decades.

To address this imbalance, she advocated constitutional amendments reserving one Senate seat and one House of Representatives seat per state exclusively for women candidates.

The Taraba-born politician said the move would guarantee women a platform to influence policies, drive inclusive governance, and contribute meaningfully to national development.

Ibrahim argued that women bring unique perspectives to governance, particularly in social welfare, education, and community development.

She warned that without deliberate inclusion, Nigerian democracy remains skewed, and national development continues to be hampered by the absence of women in leadership.

Her call follows her historic election on December 8, 2024, as IPAC’s first female Deputy National Chairman. The election, monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), coincided with IPAC’s adoption of the “twinning” or “zebra” system, which mandates gender balance by pairing office holders with deputies of the opposite gender.

Ibrahim said she would use her IPAC position to push for inclusive governance, promote electoral integrity, and actively engage political parties and lawmakers on the urgent need for reserved seats for women.

She urged the National Assembly to act swiftly, framing the proposal as a matter of justice, equity, and the future of Nigerian democracy.