By Gloria Ikibah
The Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, has called for strategic collaboration between Nigeria and the United States to drive meaningful reforms in the Nigeria’s electoral system and strengthen women’s participation in politics. 
Kalu made the appeal during a high-level meeting with officials from the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, led by Political Counsellor Mr. David Frost and Cassandra Carrony, at the National Assembly complex on Wednesday in Abuja.
Speaking in his capacity as Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, the Deputy Speaker said Nigeria stands to benefit significantly from American support in three core areas: technical expertise, advocacy, and capacity building.
He underscored the importance of drawing on global best practices to build an inclusive and credible democratic process, stating that electoral reforms and gender equity are not just political issues but a “moral covenant with future generations.”
Kalu stressed the need for the U.S. and Nigeria to work closely on comparative learning around gender-responsive electoral systems, expand engagement with civil society, the media, and political stakeholders, and co-design a women’s legislative leadership programme aimed at preparing the next generation of female lawmakers.
The Deputy Speaker’s remarks come at a time when the Constitution Review process is gathering momentum, with lawmakers under pressure to deliver a more inclusive, transparent, and forward-looking national framework.
He said: “How do we partner with the US? We seek the US Embassy support in various areas, technical expertise, share comparative insight on gender responsive, electoral system. Let’s know how you’ve done it and succeeded; advocacy, amplify stakeholders engagement with civil society, media and political party.
“You already have structures. We can adopt those structures and make them to reflect what we want to achieve with this particular mission. It’s not a fanciful outing. It’s impact oriented. We need to capacitate those that will drive the impact and it’s through this strategic partnership.
“For traditional rulers, we are thinking as a committee to integrate them into constitution and assigning roles to them, to help enhancing national cohesion and unity.”
Kalu also said the constitution review committee has prioritised women participation in governance, judicial, local government reforms, the youth, amongst others.
He cited the low representation of women in legislative seats nationwide, stressing that the constitution review committee has proposed adding special seats for women in the Senate, House of Representatives, and State Assemblies.
“Nigeria’s democracy remains incomplete so long as half its population – its women – are relegated to the sidelines. Today, women hold a mere 4% of legislative seats nationwide. In some states, like Kano and Sokoto, not a single woman sits in the State Assembly. This is not just a failure of representation; it is a failure of justice.
“As a result of our wide consultations and engagements with various stakeholders, the committee is resolved to adding one Special Seat per state in the Senate and the House of Representatives at the national level and one seat per senatorial district at the sub-national level.
“To correct this imbalance, we have introduced the Special Seats Bill (HB 1349) – a 16-year Temporary Special Measure to reserve 182 additional legislative seats for women (37 Senate, 37 House, 108 State Assemblies). This bill addresses systemic barriers – financial exclusion, electoral violence, and patriarchal norms – by creating women-only constituencies”, he said.
The Deputy Speaker also hinted that the zonal public hearing on the thematic areas of the constitution review process will commence soon across the 6 geopolitical zones.
He said: “You wanted to know how far we’ve gone in your speech, very soon we’ll go for public hearing and as our partners in the US, we want to let you know that as we advance our constitution review process, the committee has prioritized broad based public participation agenda, through series of zonal public hearings so that the voices of Nigerians from every region are heard and reflected”.
Kalu further stressed that the constitution review is a moral covenant with future generations, not just a legislative exercise.
He therefore urged a broad-based public participation and partnership with the U.S. Embassy to ensure that Nigeria’s constitution becomes a beacon of equity, security, and prosperity.
“Our constitutional review is not just a legislative exercise it is a moral covenant with future generations. With the U.S. Embassy’s partnership, we can ensure Nigeria’s next Constitution becomes a beacon of equity, security, and prosperity. Let us move beyond rhetoric to action to co-design a Nigeria-U.S. Governance Innovation Hub to pilot reforms and host joint workshops on state policing models and gender responsive budgeting.
“Together, we can write a new chapter in Nigeria’s story – one where democracy delivers, institutions endure, and no one is left behind”, Kalu said.
Earlier, the US delegation said their mission to the National Assembly was to explore areas of collaboration with the Deputy Speaker’s Office on the ongoing constitution review.
“We met with the Deputy Speaker very briefly when PLAC hosted event at the Hilton, about LG autonomy. It’s one of the things we are here to talk about. The focus here today is on the work of the Constitution Review Committee. The purpose of our visit is to further the collaboration we’ve had all these years. It’s important to maintain this connection and communication”, the delegation said.
