Female speakership hopeful attends Doguwa’s declaration — despite asking male reps to step down

Miriam Onuoha, a member of the house of representatives, attended the declaration of Alhassan Doguwa for the speakership position on Wednesday.

Why is this relevant?

Onuoha and Doguwa are among the lawmakers seeking to contest the seat of the speaker.

The inauguration of the 10th assembly will take place on June 13 and the principal officers are expected to be elected on that date.

Onuoha, an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker from Imo, formally announced her intention to contest the position of speaker on April 12.

While declaring her interest, she asked all the male contestants in the race to step down and endorse her candidacy.

“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,” she said.

Fast forward to May 3, Onuoha accompanied Doguwa to the official declaration of his intention to run for the same position.

Sitting second left to Doguwa at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, her attendance set tongues wagging, especially by those who reminisced how she asked male aspirants to step down for her.

After announcing his declaration, Doguwa described Onuaha as the “mother of APC” in the lower legislative chamber.

Defending her attendance at the event, the Imo lawmaker said: “This will show Nigerians that I am not just in the contest because I am desperate. I am in it because I understand the diversity and the need for exclusivity and unity of the nation across gender and religion.”

She said when President-elect Bola Tinunu was contesting for the APC ticket, he consulted almost all the aspirants in the race.