Reps to pursue reserved parliamentary seats for PWDs after women’s bill — Abbas

Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D, GCON (right) and the UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Africa, Ms Ahunna Eziakonwa (left) in an exchange during a courtesy call on the Speaker on Thursday. Photo: Speaker's Office

The House of Representatives will pursue constitutional amendments to create reserved parliamentary seats for persons with disabilities after concluding work on the proposed special seats for women, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas has said.

Abbas disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme, led by the UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Africa, Ms Ahunna Eziakonwa, alongside the UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms Elsie Attafuah.

The Speaker said the House was determined to expand political inclusion by giving persons with disabilities greater representation in elective offices.

“Let me inform you that after addressing the reserved women’s seats, our next focus, in collaboration with the UNDP, will be on people with disabilities,” Abbas said in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi.