Politics
IWD: 10 Women Calling Shots In Ninth Assembly
Published
2 years agoon
By
Editor
The participation of women in politics has always been a contentious issue in Nigeria. Consisting of about 45% of the entire population, women are underrepresented particularly in politics and governance.
The low participation and representation of women in politics and governance have continually made stakeholders call for more participation of women in politics as much as creating a safe space for women to grow into top-ranking political positions.
The Ninth Assembly which was inaugurated by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), was inaugurated on June 11, 2019, is already winding up its activities.
Out of Parliament’s 469 seats, 109 Senators, and 360 members of the House of Representatives, women only occupy 21 seats; eight in the Senate and 13 in the House of Representatives in the Ninth Assembly.
Today, March 8 set aside as International Women’s Day, an annual event that celebrates and recognises the achievements of women, this year the theme is1 #EmbraceEquity, The PUNCH celebrates women calling the shots in the Ninth Assembly.
READ ALSO: IWD: Seven Top Nigerian Women In Sports
1. Oluremi Tinubu

Senator Remi Tinubu
Oluremi Tinubu is the wife of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and the senator representing Lagos Central.
After serving as the first lady of Lagos state, she moved to the Red Chamber in 2011. Her activities and motions directly point to where her principles lie; Youths and Lagos states.
Tinubu who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Communications has sponsored bills like Criminal Code Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and Lagos State Special Economic Assistance Programme (Establishment) Bill, 2019.
2. Aishatu Dahiru

Senator Aishatu Dahiru
Aishatu Dahiru popularly known as Binani is a major voice in challenging stereotypes in politics and governance. She is the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress in Adamawa. If she wins, the March 25 poll, she would be the first elected female governor in Nigeria.
To clinch the governorship ticket of her party, Dahiru who is currently the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, polled 430 votes to defeat her closest contestant, Nuhu Ribadu, the pioneer Executive Chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, who got 288 votes.
Binanni didn’t just get there by mere coincidence but has worked her way from the bottom all through to the top. Her stint in the National Assembly dates back to the 7th National Assembly where she represented Yola North, Yola South and Girei Federal Constituency of Adamawa State from 2011 to 2015 in the House of Representatives, before moving to the Senate.
3. Uche Ekwenife

Uche Ekwenife
Uche Ekwenife has become a household name due to her outspokenness, and vibrancy in the National Assembly.
Ekwenife left banking as an Area manager before joining politics and became a member of the House of Representatives in 2007.
She was elected into the House to represent Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia constituency in Anambra State. A position she held for eight years; 2007 to 2015 before moving to the Red Chamber.
Although she won the Anambra Central senatorial seat in 2015, due to issues arising from switching political parties, she lost the seat to Victor Umeh. However, undaunting, Ekwenife came back to the Senate in 2019 under the Peoples Democratic Party.
Ekwenife who is currently the Chairman of, the Senate Committee on Science and Technology has moved quite a number of motions and sponsored some important bills including, the 1999 Constitution (Alteration) Bill 2020, Criminal Code Act (Amendment) Bill 2020, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion Act (Amendment) Bill 2019, Penal Code Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Public Procurement Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
If she had got a seat in the 10th Assembly, she stood a high chance of competing for one of the principal or presiding offices.
4. Betty Apiafi

Betty Apiafi
Senator Apiafi, retired as a bank manager before going into full-time politics. Under the PDP, she served as a House of Representatives Member for Abua/Odual-Ahoada East Federal Constituency of Rivers State from 2007 to 2019 before moving to the Senate where she is currently the deputy chairman, the Senate Committee on Health and banking respectively.
READ ALSO: N’Delta Group Marks IWD, Tasks Government On Development Of Region
Apiafi who represents Rivers West is one of the audacious and daring voices in the ninth Assembly.
She has openly declared her stance against injustice and bad governance at the plenary a couple of times. One such instance was in December when she withstood the Senate president, Ahmad Lawan and restrained him from passing the president’s N22.7tn Ways and Means Advance request.
At the peak of insecurity in Nigeria last year, Apiafi was one of the first senators to stand and chant ‘Buhari must go’ during the plenary. This action which snowballed into threatening to call for the president’s impeachment moved the defiant Major General Muhammadu Buhari (Retd.) to immediately tackle the security challenges in the country.
5. Biodun Olujimi

Biodun Olujimi
A former governor of Ekiti is no newbie in politics and governance. Known for her eloquence and fluent articulation as one of the women who are calling the shots in the ninth senate.
Olujimi crossed from the Executive into the legislature to represent the Ekiti South senatorial district and has remained a relevant voice for women’s emancipation in political participation and demography, by reintroducing the gender equality bill. The bill was first rejected in March 2016, when some lawmakers argued that the Nigerian Constitution was clear on the rights of all citizens whether male or female. The bill is titled, ‘Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill, 2019’.
When four gender bills were turned down by the lawmakers, Olujimi went a step further by visiting the wives of her male colleagues to help lobby their husbands to accept the gender equality bills.
It wouldn’t be a gainsay to note that Olujimi who currently heads the Senate Committee on Aviation is one of the most experienced female politicians in Nigeria.
6. Stella Oduah

Stella Oduah
Former minister of Aviation under the Goodluck Jonathan administration currently represents the people of Anambra North at the Ninth Assembly.
Known not just for her white beautiful flowing gowns, she is currently the senator with the highest number of sponsored bills. Some of her over 50 bills include the Private Hospitals Regulation Bill 2019, Marriage Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill 2019, Nigerian Latin Village lbadan (Est) Bill 2019, Protection of Personal Information Bill, 2019, National Religious Equity Commission (Est.etc), Bill 2019, Private Hospitals Regulation Bill, 2019, South East Development Commission (Est. etc.) Bill, 2019, Constituency Projects (Budgetary Provisions) Bill, 2019, and Integrated Rural Development Agency (Est. etc) Bill, 2019, amongst others.
She also moved a motion alongside five other Senators on the need to establish a Visionary Budget-Driven National Planning Framework for Nigeria.
7. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha

Nkeiruka Onyejeocha
Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha is a ranking and active lawmaker in the House of Representatives.
She started her career as a lawmaker when she was first elected member of the House for Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency of Abia State in 2007, and later re-elected in 2015 and 2019.
She is a top voice on the floor of the Green chamber and has sponsored bills and motions on topical and relevant national issues in the House.
Some of the bills she sponsored include, National Youth Service Corps Act (Amendment) Bill 2019, the Nigerian Assets Management Agency (Establishment) Bill 2019, Payment Systems Management Bill 2019, Peoples Bank of Nigeria Act (Repeal) Bill, 2019, Psychiatric Hospitals Management Board Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Related Products (Registration, Etc.) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
8. Olukemi Oluga

Olukemi Oluga
Hon Olukemi Oluga, representing Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan Federal Constituency of Osun State is another active lawmaker.
Having served as Special Adviser on Tourism and Culture under the administration of Rauf Aregbesola in Osun State. She joined the parliament in 2019.
She’s currently the Chairman, House Committee on Women in Parliament and has continued to project issues on women and youths.
Some of her bills include the Women’s Representation in Legislative Houses Bill, 2020; Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill, 2020 (HB. 796); Federal College of Education, Gbongan (Establishment) Bill, 2020 and Bill on Price Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
READ ALSO: Cash Crunch: CBN Gives Operational Guidelines On Open Banking
9. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe

Tolulope Akande-Sadipe
She is also another brilliant active voice in the Ninth parliament particularly for her tough stance while engaging the executive during committee meetings
She was elected as the representative for Oluyole federal constituency, Oyo State at the 2019 general election and currently chairs the House Committee on Diaspora.
Sadipe is not to toy with when highlighting women who have been consistent in the fight against human trafficking, organ trafficking and maltreatment of Nigerians in the Diaspora
She moved some motions including that on the need to release abused Nigerian women in Lebanon prevented from returning home, amendment of a motion to tackle sexual harassment of children and minors, Amendment of a motion on the issue of insecurity in Zamfara State to be all-inclusive across the nation. Other legislative interventions by Sadipe include her contribution at plenary on the Issue of Xenophobia, where she urged the federal government to create additional airlifting opportunities to evacuate Nigerian citizens, who are stranded in South Africa.
10. Blessing Onuh

Blessing Onuh
Onuh is the daughter of former Senate President David Mark, who defeated her uncle Johnson Egli Ahubi to become the representative for the Otupo/Ohimini federal constituency in Benue State in 2019.
As a lawmaker in the Ninth House, she has sponsored some motions including one on the need to tackle the assault and rape of minors and a motion on the urgent need to investigate the abandonment of Ahmadu Bello way (federal road) in Otukpo, federal constituency, Benue State.
PUNCH
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Politics
El-Rufai Hits Back At ONSA, Kaduna, Insists Agencies Paying Bandits
Published
11 hours agoon
September 1, 2025By
Editor
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday rebutted the statements from the Office of the National Security Adviser and Kaduna State Government that accused him of politicising national security.
He maintained his previous accusation that the agencies turn security into a political tool and are complicit in payments to bandits.
In a lengthy response posted on his social media accounts, El-Rufai said the ONSA and Kaduna government were deflecting from the “core issues” he raised in a Channels Television interview.
He levelled fresh allegations that state actors have been involved in “greasing the palms” of non-state armed groups in Kaduna and neighbouring states.
The statement read, “As usual, the combined voices of the Government of Kaduna State (KDSG) and ONSA, instead of responding to the core issues I raised, seek to deflect responsibility by alleging that exposing them amounts to politicising security.
READ ALSO:Father, Son, 72-year-old Arrested For Defiling Minors
“As a person whose three siblings served in the Nigerian Army and the Air Force, with one of them rising to the rank of general, I will also continue to appreciate the immense work that continues to be done by gallant officers of the military and security agencies.
“It is a well-known fact to discerning Nigerians that the face of the politicisation of national security for politically intended purposes resides, for the first time in our recent history, in the ONSA under its present leadership.
“If the ONSA thinks Nigerians are not following its unclear and incompetent management of terrorism and banditry in Northern Nigeria and beyond, in collaboration with a certain senator, also from the North, then it is high time it carried out an in-depth evaluation and review of its actions.”
El-Rufai asked a string of pointed questions, urging authorities to explain what he described as the mechanics of alleged payments to bandits: who delivers the money, how much is handed over, and whether middlemen skim funds before delivery.
He also challenged officials to account for recent purchases of prime real estate in Abuja, which he suggested could be linked to illicit flows.
READ ALSO:How Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi Can Learn From Tinubu’s School Of Politics
“This charade by ONSA is being done gleefully at a steep cost to the finances of the country and the ethical fabric of our society.
“The constitutional, legal and patriotic duty the government owes to security is to better support our military and security agencies with more resources like personnel, equipment and technology, rather than further endangering the country by mollycoddling bandits.
“What exactly constitutes ‘negotiations with bandits’? Why is non-kinetic approach to addressing banditry and criminality equal to withdrawals of huge amounts of money from state treasuries and handing them over to bandits and terrorists?
“Which officials and their intermediaries deliver this money, and how much personal withholding tax do they apply before delivery of the funds? Who are the most prolific purchasers of prime real estate in Abuja in the last two years, and what is the source of their newfound wealth?
“These are questions many discerning citizens are demanding answers to, while officials of ONSA and KDSG are focusing on protocol, propaganda and international junkets!”
El-Rufai further questioned the effectiveness of recent negotiations with bandits, saying attacks resumed after talks.
READ ALSO:Keyamo Warns PDP Against Fielding Jonathan, Obi In 2027
“After the much-publicised negotiations with bandits in Birnin Gwari… did the bandits not kill five citizens in the same Birnin Gwari LGA last month?” he asked, also listing other local government areas where kidnappings and killings allegedly continued.
He criticised what he described as ONSA’s public displays, including the parade of “rescued victims” and the attendance of senior security officers at political events in Kaduna, as examples of politicised security messaging.
The former governor, who led Kaduna for eight years, reiterated his respect for the military and security agencies and recalled working with numerous service chiefs during his tenure.
“Our appreciation for the sacrifices made by our military and security officers is deep. That is why we speak out about those saddled with immense responsibility two years ago who seem to view security management as a persistent exercise in propaganda,” he continued.
El-Rufai also accused the Kaduna State Government of sponsoring or enabling violence against political opponents, pointing to last weekend’s disruption of an African Democratic Congress meeting in Kaduna as evidence.
He concluded by urging ONSA and Kaduna authorities to focus on solving insecurity rather than “muzzling” dissent.
Politics
2027: Jonathan’s Cousin Tackles Keyamo Over Ex-president Not Qualified Comment
Published
12 hours agoon
September 1, 2025By
Editor
A cousin of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Robert Azibaola, has criticised the Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo and human-rights scholar Prof. Chidi Odinkalu for opposing the speculation that Jonathan may run in the 2027 presidential poll.
Robert said this in a statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Monday.
Keyamo had warned the Peoples Democratic Party against handing its ticket to Jonathan, arguing that his return bid would face legal obstacles since he had already been sworn in twice as president.
READ ALSO:APC Mocks Jonathan As ADC Woos Him For 2027 Race
However, Robert said Jonathan did not welcome “unsolicited legal advice” and insisted the former president is “100% constitutionally and legally qualified to contest, if he chooses to.”
The statement read, “Dear Festus Keyamo (SAN), Chidi Odinkalu (Prof), I greet both of you. For the record, three of us are lawyers. We were all pro-democracy activists in the ’90s, and I was a better activist than both of you combined.
“Rule No. 1: Do not offer legal advice where none is solicited. GEJ (PDP) has numerous, more cerebral, more experienced SANs at his disposal who give him sound, unblemished professional legal advice.
READ ALSO:Keyamo Warns PDP Against Fielding Jonathan, Obi In 2027
“Please note: GEJ is 100% constitutionally and legally qualified to contest, if he chooses to. If he decides not to yield to the overwhelming calls to run, it will not be because he is unqualified.
“Your unsolicited legal view is not of any concern to him and will never be. Don’t waste your precious time dwelling on this. Or should I schedule a meeting so you can be properly educated on the subsisting court judgments on the matter—one of which your party, APC, was a party to?”
Robert added, “This is not a confirmation that GEJ is running, though.”
While Jonathan has not formally declared a 2027 presidential run, his rumoured return has already fuelled debate in political circles.
Politics
Wike Meets PDP Secretary, Others In Abuja
Published
12 hours agoon
September 1, 2025By
Editor
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, are currently meeting with the minister at his official residence in Abuja.
The meeting, which began at 8.40pm, has entered a closed-door session.
Among the top-ranking members of the party present are the National Secretary of the PDP, Sam Anyanwu; National Vice Chairman (South-South), Dan Orbih; and former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
READ ALSO:
Others include former Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; former Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and former Senator representing Rivers East, George Sekibo, along with other zonal and state party chairmen.
More details later…
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