Female Lawmaker Joins Speakership Race, Seeks Gender Balance

The chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Disabilities and Special Needs, Princess Miriam Onuoha (APC-Imo) has formally declared her intention to vie for the position of speaker of the 10th National Assembly. 

Onuoha who declared her ambition yesterday in Abuja unveiled a campaign document in a 7-point agenda she referred to as ‘The Unity Assembly’.

While urging urging his male counterparts vieing for the same position to consider her aspiration to ensure gender balancing in governance, Onouha promised to embark on institutional reforms and cordial Executive-Legislature relations that would engender good governance.

Other lawmakers who have formally declared intention to contest for the position include current deputy speaker,  Ahmed Idris Wase; chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Muktar Aliyu Betara; chairman, House Committee on Navy, Yusuf Gagdi; chairman, House Committee on Media & Public Affairs, Hon. Benjamin Kalu; and Chairman, House Committee on Disaster Preparedness, Hon. Abdulraheem Olawuyia and chairman House Committee on Land Transport, Abbas Tajudeen. 

While declaring her ambition, Onouha noted that on the threshold of service, natural cohesion, effective and cutting edge legislative engagement with the executive, with the view to proffer microeconomic solutions to the nation’s economic health, as well as dealing with other social challenges, she confidently yet humbly seeks the support of her fellow members elect and the prayer of the generality of Nigerian people, for the office of the speaker in the 10th Assembly.

She also said that her emergence will create opportunities for National Assembly stakeholders engagement to provide access for public participation in the law making.

” The emergency of the dwindling number of women in parliament calls for a deliberate action, an action that will bridge the gender gap, an action that is a call for the leadership of the National Assembly to embrace the stance for a woman of competence and experience.”

“I honorably call for my fellow contestants to support me, a woman with competence, integrity, vision driven mission and a true display of diversity as well as inclusive leadership centered on equity.”

“No doubt our President-elect His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a he-for-she who has always empowered women in all spheres of life, having picked a woman as his running mate as the governor of Lagos state and also supported his amiable wife to become a senator in the parliament in line with the goals of the UN’S 35% affirmative action for women,” Hon Onuoha said.

Onuorah, who discribed herself as a nationalist and a dynamic team player to stem the tide of Nigeria’s dwindling economy and the much-needed dividends to Nigerians, noted that a service driven leader who understands the citizen’s consideration and participation is what Nigeria truly needs.

“To this effect, my election as the speaker House of Representatives will therefore afford Nigeria the rare opportunity of killing the two ubiquitous birds of gender balancing and youth inclusiveness in its political/leadership landscape, with one stone.

“Truthfully, I Princess Miriam amply represents the twin engine essence of Nigeria’s youth and female status quo whom the circumstances of our political exigencies have made an endangered and vulnerable specie.”

“Again the issues of regional balancing in the Nation’s leadership equation is also another veritable national challenge that my election to the speakership of the House of Representatives will address and resolve simultaneously in the interest of National Unity, Peace and inclusion,” she said.

The aspirant stressed that she also brings extensive and robust political experience to the table having held multiple political appointments before being consecutively elected as a member of the 9th and 10th Assemblies.

” I am in this race for the speakership of the 10th Assembly to bring fresh ideas and pragmatic solutions to the harrowing current challenges of national cohesion to proffer a new Legislative Agenda for addressing the current debilitating issues of our dwindling economy, mass poverty, promoting bills that supports massive industrialization of the economy to create more jobs, inclusivity and unity of the Nigerian State,” she explained.

She noted that she has no modicum of doubt that her speakership of the 10th Assembly, will very much, help the incoming Government to foster a government that empowers the people, includes the people (youths & women of every region) and works 100% for the people to deliver the promises that fellow Nigerians have long yearned for through the instrumentality of the house of representatives.