After Patricia Etteh, Can Onyejeocha Become Speaker Of 9th House Of Representatives?

As the battle for who becomes the next speaker of the House of Representatives gather momentum, Nigerians and indeed the female folks must be keenly watching the process due to the audacity of a female lawmaker-elect who has thrown her hat into the ring.

So far three members-elect of the green chambers have signified interest for the number one position. They are Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, Spokesperson of the House, Abdulrazak Namdas and Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.

Onyejeocha is the only female so far in the contest.

Patricia Olubunmi Foluke Etteh was the first female lawmaker to be Speaker of the House of Representatives. She was elected speaker of the 5^th House with the support of the then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2007 when the position was zoned to the South West.

She was forced to resign from the position barely six months into her tenure over allegations of corruption raised against her by her colleagues. The main charge was that she had unlawfully spent some N620 million in upgrading her official residence and had awarded the contracts to her cronies.

Following several weeks of turmoil in the House, Etteh resigned as Speaker on October 30, 2007. Since then no woman has officially entered the speakership contest.

Her Hat In The Ring

After Etteh, a female lawmaker has for the first time in the history of the House come out openly to seek the office of speaker.

Onyejeocha, declared her intention to run for speaker on March 25, promising to improve lawmaking and help advance the party’s developmental policies.

According to her, legislative oversight will be given priority attention to ensure effective policy and budget implementation.

Onyejeocha, who represents Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency, was first elected member of the House of Representatives in 2007. She was re-elected in 2011 and came back again in 2015. She was re-elected again for the fourth time in February, making her one of the few legislators in the House with the longest legislative experience. 

The Abia born lawmaker is believed to have a good grasps of legislative business and is among active contributors to debates at plenaries.

Legacy In The House

She has sponsored five private-member bills that are now at various stages of legislative work.

Her bill for an act for a compulsory treatment of gunshot victims by hospitals, is awaiting presidential assent.

The bill is meant to change the prevailing situation where a police report must be issued before administering medical treatment, and unfortunately many had lost their lives in the process.

Another bill that seeks to codify punishments for perpetrators of torture, cruel and inhumane treatment on fellow citizens has passed third reading. On social welfare, she sponsored a bill for the establishment of senior citizens centres to cater for the needs of the aged and retired public servants. The bill, which has passed second reading is intended to provide social safety net and ameliorate the sufferings of pensioners that has become a national embarrassment.

The fourth bill, which has also passed second reading will help in the administration of justice in Nigeria. It seeks to establish a programme to facilitate the protection of witnesses during investigations, inquiries and prosecutions of suspects especially, in matters of public interest.

Perhaps, based on her experience and the increased emasculation of the local government system by successive Governors, pressured her to sponsor a bill for alteration of Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution. The bill intends to restore local government autonomy and expunge the operation of State/Local Government Joint Accounts in order to free up development at the grass-root.

Her contributions at the floor of the House have remained incisive, lucid, persuasive and populist. She always stood on the part of majority of Nigerians- the good, the bad and the ugly.

The vibrant legislator sponsored and co-sponsored motions that brought federal attention to ecological challenges in Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency; the menace of herdsmen; the Abia- Ebonyi boundary dispute that almost degenerated to armed conflict.

Recall also that a Coalition of Southeast Civil Society and Human Rights Organisations (CSCSHRO) had on March 23 asked the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the position of the Speaker of House of Representatives to the southeast in the spirit of equity, justice and fairness.

The coalition also asked returning and newly elected members of the lower chamber from the six geo-political zones of the country to support the initiative by electing Onyejeocha as speaker.

Obstacles

The APC has not yet announced the zoning of positions for the House of Reps, but it is widely believed the speakership has been zoned to the South West where Lagos member, Femi Gbajabiamila is favoured to clinch the seat.

Getting the party to endorse her at this time may be an uphill task. But if the South East zone of the party can get its act together behind her, it is not unreasonable to expect the party to capitulate.

Results have shown a diminishing number of incoming female lawmakers in the 9th House.

In 2015, 22 female lawmakers were sworn in at the Green Chamber, out of which 21 are currently serving owing to the death of Funke Adedoyin from Kwara State in 2018.

Likewise, this represents six per cent of the 360-member House of Representatives.

The serving female Reps include Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC, Abia); Nnenna Ukeje (PDP, Abia); Owoidighe Atai (PDP, Akwa-Ibom); Lynda Ikpeazu (PDP, Anambra); Eucharia Azodo (PDP, Anambra); and Sodaguno Omoni (PDP, Bayelsa).

Others are Asabe Bashir (APC, Borno); Evelyn Oboro (PDP, Delta); Joan Mrakpor (PDP, Delta); Omosede Igbinedion (PDP, Edo); Binta Bello (PDP, Gombe); Aishatu Dukku (APC, Gombe); Rita Orji (PDP, Lagos); and Ayo Omidiran (APC, Osun).

There are also Beni Lar (PDP, Plateau); Blessing Ibiba (PDP, Rivers); Betty Apiafi (PDP, Rivers); Boma Goodhead (PDP, PDP Rivers); Dorothy mato (APC, Benue); Stella Ngwu (PDP, Enugu); and Khadija Bukar-Ibrahim (APC, Yobe).

As three of the 21, namely Oboro (Delta), Bello (Gombe) and Apiafi (Rivers) sought higher positions in the senate, only Apiafi was successful.

Of the remaining 18, only Onyejeocha (Abia), Ikpeazu (Anambra), Dukku (Gombe), Bukar-Ibrahim (Yobe) and Lar (Plateau) have been officially returned by INEC.

Two Federal Constituencies with incumbent female candidates, both PDP, have been declared inconclusive by INEC.

These are Rita Orji’s Ajeromi/Ifelodun of Lagos State and Boma Goodhead’s Akuku-Toru/Asari-Toru in Rivers State.

Only 12 Women In The 9^th House?

Meanwhile, 11 others namely, Ukeje, Atai, Azodo, Omoni, Bashir, Mrakpor, Igbinedion, Omidiran, Ibiba, Mato, Ngwu, lost their re-election bids either at the primaries or general election, and thus will not return to the 9th House.

Of the female Reps not returning, three are members of the ruling APC while eight belong to the main opposition PDP.

Just one non-incumbent, Zainab Gimba (APC, Borno), has so far won her election to the House.

But even as the figure is likely to increase, an estimated 12-15 women will serve in the 9th House starting June this year, making up 3-4 per cent of all 360 members.

This is approximately seven members short of the figure at the beginning of the 8th House in 2015.

However, if the female legislators-elect are faithful to the cause of women in politics they can sway the ruling party to concede the speakership to one of their own, who is not only competent, but has also been one of the constructive “speakers” at house plenaries since 2007.

Can Onyejeocha make it to become the fourth citizen of the country after 12 years? We wait to see.