The Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) has stated that the current constitution excludes many Nigerians.

The organisation urged the National Assembly to expedite action to ensure its amendments, as the surest way to achieve peace, development, and end rising agitations in the country.

WRAPA, which led other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on a sensitisation walk on the streets of Enugu State, emphasised the need to review the constitution. It insisted that Nigeria needs a constitution that is inclusive, gender-responsive, and allows for credible elections.

WRAPA’s Advocacy Officer, Faith Joshua, stated at the venue of the constitution review: “We have presented to the constitutional review committee for the southeast zone two critical electoral reforms which are very important. One of them is the passage of the additional reserved seat bill for women and reform of INEC leadership selection processes to strengthen the electoral integrity and public confidence. We understand that both are important to achieve inclusive, gender responsiveness, credible elections in Nigeria. We support the bill and advocate for its immediate passage to ensure that women are included in the governance process. We have seen this working, and we want it to happen.”

Also speaking, WRAPA Coordinator for Enugu State, Chief Mrs Virginia Obianyo, stated that the group was interested in a constitution that was inclusive and tolerant of all shades of opinion.

“It should allow women, persons with disabilities and others to participate in politics and governance. If you look at our sensitisation rally, we stated that democracy works when all citizens participate in all processes. If those with disabilities are not there, if women are not there, if the youths are not there, it cannot be a complete constitution. That is why we said that the constitution is faulty and because of the faulty constitution that refused to include everybody, we decided to undertake this sensitisation, to enlighten the people on inclusion into the polity and governance of Nigeria,” Obianyo said.

Chairman of the Enugu branch of the Joint Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPED), Onyebuchi Mbah, said they were in solidarity with the cause of gender equity, inclusion, and a special reserved bill for women, stressing that persons with disabilities would benefit should the bill be passed into law.

He therefore urged the Senate Committee on Constitution Review to speed up actions to ensure that no segment of the country was left behind in the growth and prosperity.