A female member of the House of Representatives, Miriam Onuoha, has said she has all what is required to join the speakership race ahead of the 10th national assembly.
She expressed confidence, saying about 198 members have supported and shown interest in her candidacy.
“I have over 200 or about 198 members whom I have spoken to and I have got their ultimate buy-in in my kitty. Politics is not about making noise,” she said.
“Yes, I think that a woman can be a speaker, invariably, that I can be the next speaker of the 10th house of representatives because I have prepared myself. I have followed through with the right knowledge, enablement, and requirement.”
She said she’s well educated enough and has actively participated in affairs of relevant committees of the lower house of the national assembly.
” I have the requisite education or qualifications to make the house of representatives in the first place and don’t take it for a ride that I am a woman, I survived the labour tsunami in the east, I fought men and I defeated them and I will do it again here.”
She said she was able to deliver her constituency during the February 25 presidential election despite criticisms she got from the people.
“The south-east has remained solidly with the APC. I have been a solid member of the APC and we have been working. Politics is local, we have been driving the affairs of the party. I put my billboards in the south-east running my campaign alongside Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“I know the backlash that I got from the people yet I was able to garner over 44,000 votes for myself and for the presidential election, so, we delivered.
“APC lost in Lagos. In my federal constituency 1, I delivered and I have evidence. My people love me and they voted for me because they didn’t want to take the chance of voting for another party.
“South-east is not the only region that didn’t come up as expected, the north as well, where we had a lot of inroads from the NNPP. So, I think it is all about building the nation collectively.
“I am of the new generation, the new order, we don’t want to bring tribal or religious sentiments that tend to divide us. I am a woman, I come in peace.”
The Informant247 earlier reported that a female member of House of Representatives, Miriam Onuoha has declared her intention to contest the speakership of the 10th national assembly.
The member of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC made her political ambition public during a press conference on Wednesday April 12 in Abuja, the country’s capital.
The female lawmaker has told male aspirants for the seat of speaker at the lower chamber of the national assembly to withdraw their political ambitions for her.
She lamented how women have not been part of the management of the Green Chamber affairs.
She declared that this is the moment to change the story.
She described herself as a “credible and ranking” member of the house of Representatives.
She promised to promote unity in the house and as well as gender inclusion.
She said: “The attribute of a woman is inclusiveness. A woman breaths live, and a woman nurtures. At this time of our political history, we need a woman to transform us because we are at a transition to another level.”
“I wish that the government will declare a state of emergency on the dwindling number of women in politics and parliament in particular.
“Almost about 90 positions of this country —the men have dominated it. Ceding this one position to me will be a way of proving that we are running an inclusive government.
“I use this opportunity to call on my co-contestants — my male contestants — to consider the love and the care Nigerian voters have shown to them, and as a matter of honour, step down to support this woman.
“I call on the male contestants to step down in the interest of peace and understanding. If Nigeria and our democracy must advance, my candidature has to be pushed.”
The Informant247 understands that Onuoha, is representing Okigwe north federal constituency of Imo state.
She’s also the chairperson of the house committee on disability.
The lawmaker was first elected to the house of representatives in 2015.
She contested in the 2019 elections but Obinna Onwubuariri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner of the poll.
She challenged the victory in court and a fresh election was ordered.
She won the election and her victory was upheld in August 2020.