If the APC gets its way in parliament as expected, it would mean that all the top leadership positions in Nigeria (heads and deputies of the three arms of government including the two chambers of the parliament) will be occupied by men.
When Miriam Onuoha, the lawmaker representing Okigwe North Federal Constituency of Imo State at the House of Representatives, made up her mind to join the race for Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, it was with so much confidence and assurance that her party would make it happen.
Although her party, APC, has governed Nigeria since 2015 and has mouthed the mantra of gender inclusivity, it has not produced any woman as leader of the Executive or Legislative branch of government. In fact, women's representation in Nigeria's parliament has gotten worse since the party came into power.
So, for Ms Onuoha, the fact that she was qualified for the position of Speaker based on being a ranking member of the parliament, and also being from a part of the country that had the chance of producing the next Speaker or Deputy Speaker, placed her in good stead.
It was nothing short of the 'emi lokan' spirit, which has become a mantra of her party, the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). She even asked all the men in the race to step down in the interest of inclusion.
"In almost 90 positions of this country, the men have dominated it. Ceding this one position to me will be a way of proving that we are running an inclusive government," she said when she made her ambition public. "I use this opportunity to call on my co-contestants -- my male contestants to consider the love and the care Nigerian voters have shown to them and, as a matter of honour, step down to support this woman."
Ms Onuoha's remarks are in sync with that of many observers that the Nigerian political landscape has been unfair to women, which has resulted in a steady decline in the number of women in public offices.
For instance, the 10th National Assembly (2023-2027) has a female representation of only 3.8 per cent, a decline from five per cent in the previous assembly.
Not deterred by the number of men in parliament who kept declaring their intention to become Speaker, Ms Onuoha, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said she was sure her party's decision would favour her, including the decision of the president-elect Bola Tinubu.
"... the APC and the president-elect will ensure that the women's demands are met - I am here before you; take it to the bank that I will be a presiding officer of the 10th House of Representatives," she told this newspaper confidently.
She was wrong.
Her party had other plans for the principal offices and it did not include having a woman as a candidate. The National Working Committee of the APC ratified the zoning formula proposed by President-elect Bola Tinubu, to exclude her and any other woman.
Mr Tinubu settled for Godswill Akpabio (South-south) and Barau Jibrin (North-west) for the Senate President and Deputy Senate President, respectively.
He also endorsed Tajudeen Abbas (North-west) and Ben Kalu (South-east) for Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively.
If the APC gets its way in parliament as expected, it would mean that all the top leadership positions in Nigeria (heads and deputies of the three arms of government including the two chambers of the parliament) will be occupied by men.
Mr Tinubu and the APC may have, thus, failed women in Nigeria aspiring to public office with their decision which runs parallel to the promises made to women in his manifesto.
The former Lagos governor said he would "increase women's participation in government to at least 35 per cent in all government positions."
The first and last time a woman occupied a principal office at the National Assembly was about 16 years ago when Patricia Eteh native of Osun State, became the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives even though short-lived (barely five months) as she was expelled on the grounds of corruption. Mrs Etteh was cleared of the allegations four years after by the same House.
Ms Onuoha will most likely concede and leave the race to the chosen men as she told this newspaper that she would not go against any decision of the party on the matter because "the party is supreme."
The dwindling number of female representatives
Ms Onuoha's aspiration is coming when female representation is on a slippery slope, a decline from what was obtainable in the previous parliament.
In the incoming house (2023-2027), the 10th assembly, only 3.8 per cent of the lawmakers are female.
The Senate has only three women out of 109 seats, representing 2.8 per cent. In the House of Representatives, there are 17 women out of 360, representing 4.7 per cent.
The departing assembly (2019-2023) has only five per cent female representation. The Senate has eight women, 7.8 per cent while the House of Representatives has 13, representing 3.6 per cent.
From 2015 to 2019, there were seven women in the Senate, 6.4 per cent while the number of women in the House of Representatives was 21 (6.1 per cent).
Between 2011 and 2105, there were seven women in the Senate, 6.4 per cent; 26 women (7.2 per cent) were in the House of Representatives.
For the 2007 to 2011 Assembly, the Senate saw the highest number of female senators, nine, making up 8.3 per cent; 26 women (6.9 per cent) were in the House of Representatives.
From 2003 to 2007, there were four female senators (3.7 per cent) while 21 women (5.8 per cent) made it to the House of Representatives.
When Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999, only three women (2.8 per cent) made it to the Senate. In the House of Representatives, there were 12 women (3.3 per cent).
Summarily, from 1999 till date, only 157 women have made it into the National Assembly (38 female senators and 119 female House of Representatives members), whereas 2,657 men have graced both chambers (616 male senators, 2,041 male House of Representatives members) during the same period.
The trend shows that today's Senate has walked 24 years backwards, seeing that the numbers are the same as what was obtainable in 1999 when Nigeria returned to civilian rule. Similarly, since this fall in 2015, the number of women in the House of Representatives has remained under 20.
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Women advocates speak
Bukky Shonibare, the executive director of Invictus Africa, a non-governmental organisation that promotes human rights and gender equality, said it is disappointing that no woman was put forward by the National Working Committee of the APC, particularly at a time when women's representation has hit lower than expected.
"Aren't there women in the zones where the NASS leaders have been zoned and chosen from?" she asked.
Ms Shonibare added that the choice of only men as candidates cast a question on the commitment of the president-elect to "increase women's participation to at least 35 per cent in all government positions" as contained in his "Renewed Hope" Manifesto.
For Ebere Ifendu, president of Women in Politics Forum, the political system in Nigeria makes it difficult for women to attain leadership positions.
"This is why we will continue to advocate legislations that ensure political participation of women; otherwise our male counterparts will continue to use excuses like religion and culture to undermine women's political participation," she told PREMIUM TIMES in an earlier interview ahead of this year's International Womens Day in March.
"The results for the National Assembly may not seem like Nigerian women know better but we have already started preparing towards 2027 and we look forward to a positive impact," she said.
