Politics

Women In Politics: 17 Lawmakers Who Will Shape 10th NASS

Published

3 years ago

March 13, 2023

After keenly fought National Assembly contests across 98 senatorial zones and 325 federal constituencies on February 25, only 17 women are left standing.

No fewer than 92 women fought for 109 senatorial seats and 288 women contested for the 360 House of Representatives seats. There were 1101 senatorial candidates and 3,122 House of Representatives flagbearers in all.

So far, 11 senatorial and 35 House of Representatives slots are yet to be occupied due to inconclusive polls that will be conducted on March 18, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Unless women win more seats on Saturday during the 46 polls, only 17 of them will be in the 10th National Assembly made up of three senators and 14 Reps.

While none of the eight serving female senators will be in the 10th Senate, seven of the 14 female Reps are returning legislators.

The number of those elected is a great setback for women representations in the Senate where they had eight slots in the 9th Senate but a slight improvement of in the House of Representatives where figure increased from 13 to 14.

As it is, with 17 women, 2023 marks the worst outing for women since 1999 when 16 women (three senators and 13 Reps) served in the National Assembly. The best outing for women, so far, was in 2007 (see table) when 36 women (9 senators, 27 Reps) made it to both chambers.

Attempt to provide 111 special seats for women in the National Assembly to bridge the wide gender gap in the federal legislature failed as a bill proposed to that effect was not voted on during the last constitutional amendments.

Currently, women’s representation in Nigeria’s parliament is among the lowest in the world. The overall national average for women participation is around 6 per cent for elective and appointive positions which is below the West African sub regional average of 15 per cent. Nigeria ranks 32 out of 35 sub-Saharan countries when it comes to representation of women in politics.

Dwindling fortunes of women in NASS

1999 (4th Assembly): 3 Senators, 13 Reps

2003 (5th Assembly): 4 Senators, 21Reps

2007 (6th Assembly): 9 Senators, 27 Reps

2015 (8th Assembly): 7 Senators, 22 Reps

2019 (9th Assembly): 8 Senators, 13 Reps

2023 (10th Assembly): 3 Senators, 14 Reps

Senators-elect

*Banigo Ipalibo Harry, PDP, Rivers West

*Ireti Heebah Kingibe, LP, FCT, Abuja

*Adebule Idiat Oluranti, APC, Lagos West

House of Reps

*Nnabuife Chinwe Clara, YPP, Orumba North/Orumba South, Anambra *Orogbu Obiageli, LP, Awka North/Awka South , Anambra

*Gwacham Maureen Chime, APGA, Oyi/Ayamelum, Anambra

*Regina Akume, APC, Gboko/Tarka, Benue

*Ibori-Suenu Erhiatake, PDP, Ethiope East/Ethiope West, Delta

*Fatima Talba, APC, Nangre/Potiskum, Yobe

*Onuh Onyeche Blessing, APC, Otukpo/Ohimini Benue

*Zainab Gimba, APC, Bama/Ngala/Kala-Balge, Borno

*Beni Butmak Lar, PDP, Lantang North/Lantang South, Plateau

*Goodhead Boma, PDP, Akuku Toru/Asari Toru, Rivers

*Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim, APC, Damaturu/Gujba/Gulani/Tarmuwa, Yobe

*Onuoha Miriam Odinaka, APC, Isiala Mbano/Okigwe/Onuimo, Imo *Adewunmi Ariyomi Onanuga, APC, Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo North, Ogun KingibeIreti, wife of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, and 1993 Vice Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, was born on June 2, 1954. Ireti, who is also the younger sister of Ajoke Mohammed, the wife of former Head of State, Major General Murtala Muhammed, won the sole Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja sole seat.

She was educated at Queens College, Lagos; Washington Irving High School, and the University of Minnesota, United States, where she bagged a degree in Civil Engineering.

The Senator-elect worked as a quality control engineer at the Bradley Precast Concrete Inc from 1978 to 1979/ Ireti was project supervisor for the Directorate of Works at the Nigerian Air Force station in Ikeja, Lagos between 1981 and 1982, after completing the mandatory one-year national youth service.

She joined the Minnesota Department of Transportation Design unit, where she worked as an engineer between 1979 and 1991.

She entered partisan politics in 1991 when she joined the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). She was appointed as the adviser to the party’s national chairman.

Ipalibo

Dr Ipalibo, the medical doctor-turn-politician is the deputy governor of Rivers State. Born to the Harry family of Obuama in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State on December 20, 1952, she is the first female deputy governor of Rivers State and has been in the saddle since May 29, 2015.

Ipalibo was schooled in Queens College, Yaba, Lagos between 1964 and 1968 and returned to the same school between 1969 and 1970 for a high school result.

Thereafter, she proceeded to the University of Ibadan and obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and qualified as a medical doctor in 1976.

Adebule

Born on November 27, 1970, at Alaworo in Ojo Local Government area of Lagos State, Dr Adebule is a writer, educationist, and a politician. The lecturer-turn politician served as the 15th deputy governor of Lagos state and the sixth woman to occupy the office from 2015 to 2019.

She began her working career as an academic at Lagos State College of Primary Education, LACOPED, Noforija, Epe as a lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies and later transferred her service to the Lagos State University as a lecturer in the Department of Curriculum Studies and later Language Arts and Social Studies in the Faculty of Education.

Her political sojourn started with an appointment as a commissioner 1 in the Lagos State Post Primary Teaching Service Commission (PP-TESCOM), now Teachers’ Establishment and Pensions Office, by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu from October 2000 to February 2005 and later as board member of the Lagos State Scholarship Board from February 2005 to November 2005.

She was appointed Secretary to the State Government by the Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola in July 2011. She was elected as deputy governor Akinwunmi Ambode in 2015.

Lilian Orogbu

Professor Lilian Orogbu, a lecturer in the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, UNIZIK, won the Awka North and South federal constituency of Anambra State on the platform of the LP.

Professor Orogbu, Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe, is a Professor of Strategic Human Resource Management. The accomplished administrator has served in many capacities in the university including being head of the Department of Business Administration.

The returning officer of INEC, Mr Uche Nriagu, declared the Labour Party candidate, Lilian Orogbu winner with 29,629 votes, defeating her closest rival, Obi Nwankwo, who got 18,081 votes.

Khadija Bukar Abba

Khadija Bukar Abba is a four-time member of the House of Representatives, representing Damaturu, Gujba, Gulani and Tarmuwa federal constituency of Yobe State. She is returning for the fifth time. She was first elected in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023. Abba has also served as commissioner for transport and energy, Yobe State, as well as minister of state for Foreign Affairs under President Muhammadu Buhari.
Regina Akume

Regina Akume is the wife of Senator George Akume, a former two-term governor of Benue State, and current Minister of Inter-Governmental Affairs and Special Duties.
Blessing Onuh

Onuh Onyechi Blessing is the daughter of former Senate President David Mark.

Beni Lar

Beni Lar is the daughter of late foremost politician , Second Republic Governor of Plateau State, and first National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Solomon Lar.
She has served in various committees of the House of Representatives such as Women Affairs and Human Rights.
Ibori-Suenu

Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu is the daughter of former Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori. She won the Ethiope Federal Constituency of Delta State on the platform of the PDP. She was elected after scoring 20,814 votes, while her closest rival, Halims Agoda of the APC, got 15,172 votes.
VANGUARD

Politics

Oshiomhole Criticised For ‘Eating Own Vomit’

Published

1 day ago

October 20, 2025

Editor

Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, has been criticised for ‘eating his vomit” after he distributed motor-cycles, grinding machines, sewing machines and money as constituency project.

A former lawmaker and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo North, Hon Segun Saiki, in an interview with journalists reminded the former Edo governor
of how he berated federal lawmakers for impoverishing the people by sharing sewing machines, motorcycles, as constituency project.

Recall that Senator Oshiomhole, in an interview he granted before his election to the National Assembly, promised to restructure the whole idea of constituency project.

Oshiomhole had said during the interview before his election: “I don’t want to go to the Senate for business as usual. I have seen my Senator gave out grinding machine and motorbike as empowerment.

“That is more offensive. How are you empowering a young man in his 20s with a motorbike? You are destroying him. I think the government must refocus the long term strategy to empower the people.”

But the PDP chieftain said Oshiomhole swallowed what he had vomited by doling out grinding machines, motorbikes, sewing machines and N100,000 as constituency project.

“It is like somebody vomiting and swallowing it back. Which constituency project is he doing after two years in the Senate. What can anybody buy with N100,000 in this present economy? Oshiomhole only gave money to people that visited him.”

Contacted, Media Aide to Oshiomhole, Victor Oshioke, said his principal built classroom blocks, market stores besides the items distributed.

“What Oshiomhole meant was that a Senator should not be judged by sharing items but by enduring legacies and jobs created.”

Politics

JUST IN: ADC Suspends South-South Vice Chairman Over Anti-party, Insubordination

Published

1 day ago

October 20, 2025

Editor

The African Democratic Congress has suspended its National Vice Chairman (South-South), Dr. Usani Usani, over what it described as actions capable of undermining the unity and progress of the party.

The suspension, which takes immediate effect, followed deliberations at a meeting of the State Working Committee of the ADC, Cross River State chapter, held on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

Announcing the decision in a statement issued Monday in Abuja, the State Publicity Secretary, James Otudor, said the committee found Usani’s recent conduct to be in violation of the ADC Constitution and inconsistent with the party’s core values.

According to Otudor, the SWC examined multiple petitions alleging anti-party activities, insubordination to constituted authority, and actions deemed detrimental to the image and electoral fortunes of the ADC.

“In accordance with the party’s constitution and disciplinary procedures, Dr. Usani’s suspension will remain in effect pending the outcome of a formal investigation by the relevant party organs,” the statement read.

The committee also faulted the appointment of Ms. Jackie Wayas as Deputy National Publicity Secretary, citing lack of consultation with the Cross River leadership before her emergence.

Otudor alleged that Wayas had shown “little engagement” with the state chapter since assuming office and questioned her loyalty to the party’s unity in the South-South.

“Consequently, the SWC urged the National Leadership to review her appointment and replace her with a competent, credible, and media-savvy individual from Cross River State with a verifiable record of commitment to the ideals of the ADC,” he stated.

The Cross River chapter further expressed displeasure over the conduct of certain individuals within the Coalition Movement who, despite publicly declaring for the ADC, had failed to complete their membership registration.

It warned that the party would not tolerate dual membership or allow its platform to be used by politicians pursuing multiple partisan interests.

Politics

Jonathan’s Ex-aide Dumps PDP For APC

Published

3 days ago

October 18, 2025

Editor

A former Senior Special Assistant on Domestic Matters and Social Events to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Waripamo-owei Dudafa, has formally announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party and joined the All Progressive Congress.

Dudafa, a former member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, announced his resignation from the PDP in a statement he issued on Saturday in Yenagoa.

In the letter of resignation addressed to the Chairman, PDP, Southern Opokuma/Ayibabiri Ward 8 in Kolokuma Opukuma Local Government Area, he stated that his decision to quit the PDP followed a period of deep reflection and consultation with his political associates, supporters, and family members.

The letter read in part: “It is with a heavy heart that I tender my resignation from the People’s Democratic Party effective immediately. Throughout my time with the party, I have been deeply committed to our shared values and goals, and it has been an honour to work with so many dedicated individuals.”

Dudafa stated that the unresolved disputes, particularly at the national level, “have significantly impeded our ability to move forward, rather they create an environment of conflict that’s no longer conducive to advancing the shared values and objectives.”

He said: “While this decision has been difficult, I remain committed to serving the best interests of our people, motivated by my dedication to their welfare and progress.”

Announcing his decision to join the APC, he said: “After careful reflection and consideration, I have decided to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), a platform I believe offers renewed hope, unity and a stronger foundation to address the challenges facing our dear state.”

To the members of the APC, Dudafa wrote, “I look forward to working alongside new colleagues who share this vision.”

He expressed appreciation to the PDP for the relationships and experiences he gained during his time in the PDP and wished the party well in overcoming its present challenges.

Political observers are of the opinion that his resignation could signal realignments ahead of future political developments in Bayelsa State and at the national level.