Women of the 8th National Assembly

Many commentators including female politicians have lamented that female legislators did not have it easy in the 2015 elections like other electable positions in the recently concluded  elections.
Mama Taraba as Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was fondly called, came close to making history but lost the Taraba State governorship ticket to Arch. Darius Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Though the nation got its first ever female presidential candidate, Comfort Oluremi Sonaiya, of the KOWA party, she was only able to garner nominal votes but hopes her example will inspire more Nigerian women to get involved in politics.
The poor returns of women was largely felt in the National Assembly with only eight of them winning seats at the upper chamber though added one slot from the seven they got in the 7th Assembly in 2011.
The women folk were however consoled with four women deputy governors in the persons of Oluranti Adebule (Lagos State), Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga (Ogun State), Ipalibo Banigo (Rivers State), and Cecilia Ezeilo (Enugu State).
Three of the eight women senators are of the APC with the remaining five being of the PDP.
They are; current member of the senate, Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), incumbent Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Monsurat Sunmonu (Oyo Central), and Binta Masi Garba (Adamawa North).
The five PDP women senators who will be joining the Upper Chamber are House of Representatives member, Uche Ekwunife (Anambra Central); former aviation minister Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi (Anambra North), Rose Oko (Cross River North), House of Representatives member between 2003 and 2007 Fatimat Raji-Rasaki (Ekiti Central) and Abiodun Olujimi (Ekiti South).
However Senator Nkechi Nwaogu from Abia State, after 12 years in the National Assembly four-year one term in the House and another eight-year term in the Senate, did not make it back to the legislature.
Also senators Helen Esuene from Akwa Ibom State, Margery Okadigbo from Anambra, Chris Anyanwu from Imo, Nenadi Usman from Kaduna and Zaynab Kure from Niger also failed to get return-tickets to the Senate.
For the House of Representatives, 15 (10 PDP and 5 APC) women lawmakers made it to the Green Chambers to represent the federal constituencies.
For the PDP, these include Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje (Bende), Sodaguno Festus Omoni (Ogbia), Nkiruka Chidubem Onyejeocha (Isuikwuato/Umunneochi), Rita Orji (Ajeromi-Ifelodun), Eucharia Azodo Okwunna (Aguata), Evelyn Omavovoan Oboro (Uvwie/Okpe/Sapele), Beni Butmaklar Langtang (North/Langtang South), Omosede Igbinedion Gabriella (Ovia), Stella Obiageli Ngwu (Uzo-Uwani, Igbo Etiti) and Fatima Binta Bello (Kaltungo/Shon).
Those of the APC are Aishatu Jibril Dukku (Dukku/Nafada), Olufunke Adedoyin (Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero), Ayo Hulayat Omidiran (Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan), Khadija Bukar Ibrahim (Gulani/Gujbadamaturu/Tarmuwa) and Asabe Vilita Bashir (Gwoza/Damboa/Chibok).
Speaking on the development a cross section of women politicians blame the political parties among other challenges for the dwindling electoral fortune of female contestants culminating in their losses during the recently concluded 2015 General Elections.
They bored their minds at workshop themed “Lessons Learned Workshop: 2015 General Elections and Women’s Political Participation” organised by the Democratic Governance for Development Project of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP/DGD II) in Abuja.
Former United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking Dr. Joy Ezeilo, President of the Women in Politics Forum (WIPF) and National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party (LP) Barrister Ebere Ifendu, and Hajia Wahirat Mustapha Aliyu among others were unanimous that if the political parties had sincerely assisted female contestants, they would have performed better in the last elections.
Ifendu said contesting and winning elections especially for female goes beyond giving them free nomination forms.
“It is surprising that despite all our efforts spanning several months, we recorded lower success than even the 2011 elections. Giving us the free-nomination forms is one thing, supporting them to win primaries and the real contest is another, the parties did not do this much for us in the last elections,” she said.
They therefore call for re-strategizing by evolving practical approach to tackle the challenge.
Aliyu on her part said there is less networking on the part of women politicians to achieve a common aim and that depending on the so call bigger parties was another challenge that has to be surmounted.
Project Director, Dr. Mourtada Deme represented by an official said the workshop was organized to review the participation and outcome of women in the last elections including facilitating discussion and exchange of information on lessons learnt, experiences, drawbacks and the unique points of entry for future interventions from a gender perspective.
While the outgoing majority leader of the House of Representatives, Rep Mulikat Akande Adeola and some other women held some important positions in the two chambers including headship of some key committees, it is left to be seen what roles would be given by the male-dominates National Assembly to these women lawmakers when the 8th session is inaugurated on Tuesday.