‘I’m qualified to be speaker’ — Miriam Onuoha says 198 members backing her

Miriam Onuoha, a member of the house of representatives, says she has all the qualifications required to contest for the speakership of the 10th assembly.

Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, Onuoha, who recently declared her interest to contest the speakership position said she is prepared and ready to work in spite of the religious and tribal sentiments dividing the country.

She said about 198 members have extended their support for her ambition, adding that politics is not about noise making.

“I have over 200 or about 198 members whom I have spoken to and I have got their ultimate buy-in in my kitty. Politics is not about making noise,” she said.

“Yes, I think that a woman can be a speaker, invariably, that I can be the next speaker of the 10th house of representatives because I have prepared myself. I have followed through with the right knowledge, enablement, and requirement.”

She added that she has the required education and has actively been a member of relevant committees in the house.

“I have the requisite education or qualifications to make the house of representatives in the first place and don’t take it for a ride that I am a woman. I survived the labour tsunami in the east, I fought men and I defeated them and I will do it again here.”

While commenting on the presidential election, the lawmaker said she was able to deliver her constituency for the party despite the criticism she received from the people.

“The south-east has remained solidly with the APC. I have been a solid member of the APC and we have been working. Politics is local, we have been driving the affairs of the party. I put my billboards in the south-east running my campaign alongside Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“I know the backlash that I got from the people, yet I was able to garner over 44,000 votes for myself and for the presidential election, so, we delivered.

“APC lost in Lagos. In my federal constituency 1, I delivered and I have evidence. My people love me and they voted for me because they didn’t want to take the chance of voting for another party.

“South-east is not the only region that didn’t come up as expected, the north as well, where we had a lot of inroads from the NNPP. So, I think it is all about building the nation collectively.

“I am of the new generation, the new order, we don’t want to bring tribal or religious sentiments that tend to divide us. I am a woman, I come in peace.”