HURIWA Endorses Princess Onuoha As 10th Assembly Deputy Speaker

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA) has endorsed the member representing Onuimo/Isiala Mbano/Okigwe Federal Constituency of Imo State, Princess Miriam Onuoha, for the post of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 10th Assembly.

The civil rights advocacy group said electing Onuoha as deputy speaker will improve legislative-executive dialogue with fresh ideas to ensure resolutions don’t become obsolete.

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HURIWA National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a press conference, said since the ruling APC had zoned the Deputy Speakership position to the South-East zone, it is only sensible and acceptable for the party with majority of members in the National Assembly to select a woman for the role.

The group noted that the 10th Senate and 10th House of Representatives, which will resume sitting in June are male-dominated, with about 20 women in both legislative chambers.

HURIWA accused the APC and President-Elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu of paying lip service to affirmative action despite promising women inclusion during their campaigns.

Onwubiko said, “it is on record that Onuoha, who won her reelection on the platform of the APC, has offered herself to serve the Nigerian people and offered herself to provide robust and dynamic leadership.

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“Her people voted her despite the Labour Party landslide victory in the state because they didn’t want to take a chance by voting another candidate and because she brought participatory governance to her people; politics of inclusivity.

“It is just insensitive for the APC not to include a single woman among the top six political positions in the country despite the party’s spineless promises about affirmative action.

“APC should ensure 35% affirmative action for the leadership of the National Assembly and reserve the office of the Deputy Speaker for a very competent lawmaker in the person of Hon Onuoha.

“Hon Onuoha has the requirement to be the next Deputy Speaker of the green chamber. She fought and defeated men in the general elections and she is ready to repeat the feat. She has also raised the bar of leadership and has promised to improve legislative-executive dialogue with fresh ideas to ensure resolutions don’t become tissue papers.

“We believe that Hon Onuoha can be a record-breaker after Patricia Etteh, the first female Speaker of the House between June and October 2007,” the HURIWA coordinator added.

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Recall that the APC National Working Committee on Monday released the zoning arrangement for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.

The party zoned the Senate President to the South-South, Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Deputy Senate President to the North-West, Senator Barau Jubrin (Kano).

Others are the Speaker of the House of Representatives (North-West) – Abass Tajudeen (Kaduna), Deputy Speaker South East – Ben Kalu (Abia).

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