Former First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan, has called for legislative backing for the 35 percent affirmative action for women in governance, insisting that women’s participation in politics should be guaranteed by law.

Mrs. Jonathan made the call during the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) Women Conference held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, while reacting to comments by the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, who argued that women should not be given special political seats.

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Governor Diri had earlier advocated full inclusion of women in politics without the creation of special seats, describing such measures as unnecessary.

According to him, women should participate in politics based on merit rather than through special legislative provisions.

“I do not want our women to be treated as second-class citizens,” Diri said.

The governor noted that countries like Britain and the United States do not reserve special parliamentary seats for women, yet women still actively participate and hold top political offices.

“Women across the world participate and become members of parliament, governors and presidents. Nigeria should not be an exception,” he stated.

Diri also highlighted the role women already play in different professions, noting that many Nigerian women are professors, doctors, engineers, and lawyers, adding that they possess the capacity to succeed in politics without special considerations.

He further said he had made efforts to increase women’s participation in governance in Bayelsa State by appointing more women into government positions.

However, Patience Jonathan disagreed with the governor’s position, stressing that women’s inclusion must be institutionalized through legislation to prevent future governments from reversing progress.

“We don’t want inclusion for women in governance that will appear as if government is doing women a favour,” she said.

She explained that without legal backing, political inclusion for women could easily be discontinued by future administrations.

“Any government can come into power tomorrow and stop the inclusion. We want it as a law. The Special Seats Bill is currently before the National Assembly,” she added.

Jonathan also pointed out that the political systems in some developed countries function differently from Nigeria’s political environment, where negotiations and political arrangements often determine access to power.

She urged women across Nigeria to unite across political party lines to push for the passage of the bill.

“Women of Nigeria, irrespective of parties, must come together and put party aside and talk with one voice. That is the only way we can achieve this,” she said.

She further stressed that 35 percent representation for women should also be implemented within political parties, noting that parties serve as the gatekeepers to political power.

According to her, without women being part of party leadership structures, it would be difficult for them to secure elective positions in the future.