The only female aspirant in the race for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Miriam Onuoha has expressed optimism about the outcome of the tussle for the seat.
According to her, however, the zoning of the All Progressive Congress (APC) might be, all she wants is to be the Speaker or deputy Speaker of the House.
Her submission follows several controversies rocking the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, which on Monday adopted a zoning template for the position of principal officers of the 10th National Assembly.
Truetells Nigeria recalls that the APC NWC zoning template favours the South-South, especially Godswill Akpabio for the position of the Senate President
Others are “Deputy Senate President – North West-Senator Barau Jubrin (Kano). Speaker, House of Representatives North West-Hon. Abass Tajudeen (Kaduna).
“Deputy Speaker South East-Hon. Ben Kalu (Abia).”
However, in the midst of all these, Onuoha has her gaze still strong on the Speaker’s seat.
She told Premium Times in an interview that she is sure of the support of God and the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.
The lawmaker said “I am sure of his support. By the grace of God, he has promised to work with Nigeria’s gender policy, which is an international treaty that we have ratified here. And the 35 per cent affirmative action has been ratified. And the gender action policy.
“Asiwaju is an inclusive person, who made a woman his deputy governor, who did not just become a senator but elevated his wife to the status of a senator. Not a councillor that will be lower than himself, but a senator, which is the highest legislative body. I am confident that he will not keep women aside, however, it goes.
“However the zoning formula comes, it is either the speaker or the deputy speaker—it will definitely come our way. That is why I have opened my tentacle to lobbying. I have strengthened my lobbying. It is a presiding office or nothing. I am not running to be compensated with the Leader of the House or be chief whip or deputy whip. I am running to be Speaker of the House of Representatives, worst case, deputy speaker, so that women will still have a voice on the presiding table, so, that opportunity gives us the platform or the leverage to sit on the decision-making table as the leadership of the House of Representatives.”
