dailytrust

Meet 48 women who made it to state assemblies

Our Reporters Daily Trust Saturday

Ekiti tops with 6, Kwara 5

Kano, Rivers, Borno, Osun, 11 others have none I know I’ll make a change - 26-year-old female lawmaker

Violence, religion, cultural factors limiting women participation – Don Nigeria ranks 141 out of 146 countries on women representation

Ekiti tops with 6, Kwara 5

Kano, Rivers, Borno, Osun, 11 others have none

I know I’ll make a change - 26-year-old female lawmaker Violence, religion, cultural factors limiting women participation – Don Nigeria ranks 141 out of 146 countries on women representation

Out of the 988 state assembly seats across the 36 states of the federation, only 48 female lawmakers, representing 4.85 per cent, were elected in the just concluded elections, reports.

The poor outing of women in the just concluded elections has once again brought to the fore, an existential problem, which experts believe would require serious legislation at the national level for a certain percentage to be reserved for the womenfolk in the spirit of fairness.

Those who spoke to our correspondents said that considering Nigeria’s diversity and the struggle to nurture its nascent democracy, women deserve a voice in policy making, articulation and execution.

Over time, the dearth of women in the country’s political space has generated growing concerns among stakeholders and gender activists.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), women constituted about 47.5 per cent of 93 million registered voters in the just concluded 2023 elections.

But despite forming a bulk of the voting population in the country, women in the country hardly have the chance of being elected into political positions due to many odds that stand against them.

A breakdown of the results showed that some women secured seats in 21 states - Anambra, Kaduna, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Oyo, Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kogi, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Enugu and Ebonyi.

However, they were not lucky in Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Abia, Osun, Rivers, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara states, where only men dominated.

A further breakdown showed that the South West produced the highest number of female lawmakers with a total of 16 elected women from five of the six states in the region. Ekiti State topped with 6 female lawmakers, Lagos and Ondo have 3 each, while Ogun and Oyo have 2 each. Osun is the only state in the region without a female lawmaker.

The North Central geopolitical zone ranked second with 12 female lawmakers across five out of the six states. Kwara State topped the chart with 5 female lawmakers with Benue, Plateau and Kogi producing 2 each, while Nasarawa produced 1.

The breakdown also showed that the South South geopolitical zone produced 10 female lawmakers across five states to emerge third.

Akwa Ibom State topped the chart with 4 female lawmakers, with Bayelsa and Delta having 2 each, while Cross River and Edo states had 1 each.

In the South East, three out of the five states produced 5 female lawmakers. Ebonyi has 2, Enugu 2, while Anambra has one. Abia and Imo states have no female lawmakers.

Like the South East, the North East also produced three female lawmakers from two out of the six states in the region. While Taraba produced 2, Adamawa had 1. However, Borno, Gombe, Yobe and Bauchi have no female lawmakers.

In the North West geopolitical zone, out of the seven states in the region, only Kaduna produced two female lawmakers, while Kano, Zamfara, Jigawa, Sokoto, Katsina and Kebbi states have no female representatives in the state assemblies.

Anambra

Out of the total number of 30 members in Anambra State House of Assembly, only one female was able to secure a seat.

Mrs Nkechi Ogbuefi of the Labour Party (LP) won the Anaocha constituency to retire the incumbent member, Ebele of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Meanwhile, the only female currently in the state assembly representing Onitsha South 2 constituency, Beverly Ikpeazu, could not make it back to the House.

Enugu

In Enugu, Hon Princess Obiajulu Ugwu won the Enugu South Constituency while Hon Jane Ene won the Udi North Constituency.

In Bayelsa, the two women elected include Egba Ayibanegiyefa, who won the Yenagoa constituency

l seat, and Mrs Ebizi Ndiomu Brown, who won Sagbama constituency lll seat, all on the platform of the PDP.

Bayelsa State has 24 seats in the state assembly, and the INEC has since announced the result for 23 seats, while election is yet to hold in Ogbia constituency ll as hoodlums reportedly disrupted the poll during last Saturday’s exercise.

Benue

Benue State has two female state legislators out of 30 seats in the state assembly.

The female lawmakers include Mrs Lami Danladi who secured the Ado constituency seat under the APC while Mrs Becky Orpin also under the APC, won Gboko-East constituency.

Cross River

In the 25-member assembly of Cross River, only one woman, Rita Ayim, under the PDP, was elected to represent Ogoja constituency.

Delta

In Delta State, Marilyn Okowa and Bridget Anyafulu are the two female lawmakers elected into the state assembly.

Marilyn Okowa, who is the daughter of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, won on the platform of the PDP to represent Ika North/East constituency.

Okowa, now Marilyn Daramola Gbolahan, was before her election the Senior Special Assistant on Girl-child Education to the governor of the state.

She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Law from Lancaster University (2013) and the University of Nottingham (2010).

On her part, Bridget Anyafulu was elected to represent Oshimili South constituency. The 56-years-old child rights advocate, lawyer and ex-Nigerian Olympian, was the immediate past Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Community Support Services in the state.

Ekiti

In Ekiti, Mrs Bolaji Egbeyemi Olagbaju was elected to represent Ado constituency 11, while Okuyiga Eyiyato Adeteju won for the Ayekire/ Gbonyin constituency.

Olowokere Bose Yinka won to represent Efon constituency, while Ogunlade Maria Abimbola was elected to represent Emure constituency.

In the same vein, Fakunle Okiemen Iyabo won the Ilejemeje constituency seat, while Abimbola Solanke secured the Moba 1 constituency seat.

Edo

In Edo State, Maria Edeko Omozele is the only female member-elect in a legislative arm that produced 23 males.

The lone female in the 24-member assembly won the election to represent Esan North East 11 constituency on the platform of the PDP.

She resigned as Commissioner for Social Development and Gender to contest the state assembly election.

Oyo

Oyo State has two female House of Assembly members-elect out of 32 seats.

Forty-seven-year-old Olajide Olufunke Comforter is a first time member-elect, who contested and won under the PDP for Ibadan North 1 constituency.

Bisi Oluranti Oyewo Micheal from Ogbomoso North constituency is the second female who won on the platform of the PDP.

She is an alumnus of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and holds a master’s degree from the University of Ibadan.

She used to be a nursing assistant in the United State of America.

With her election, she has become the second female lawmaker that will represent Ogbomoso. Taraba

Taraba State has two female members-elect out of 24 state assembly seats.

Front Page

en-ng

2023-03-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://dailytrust.pressreader.com/article/281517935370770

Media Trust Limited