Women Canvassing For Female As Deputy Senate President

Following the failure of a female to emerge as the first woman governor of Taraba State, some groups of women are canvassing for the emergence of a woman as the next Deputy Senate President in the 8th Assembly. This is coming as jostle for positions in the incoming government appears to have reached fever pitch. History was almost made in the last governorship election in the country when a woman, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Taraba State was reportedly leading in the five most populated local government areas of the state. Hopes were initially raised but later the results of elections in some areas were cancelled while it was rescheduled for last Saturday April 25 which Alhassan, a serving Senator eventually lost. Consequent upon this, women groups are canvassing that in order to give women the necessary encouragement and pride of place in the incoming administration, the position of Deputy Senate President be conceded to women so as to make change meaningful and complete since a woman failed to become a state governor this time around. As a result, a coalition of women under the aegis of Adamawa State coalition of women has made case for the election of Hon. Binta Masi Garba as Deputy Senate President in the 8th National Assembly. Addressing journalists in Yola, the chairperson of the women coalition in the state, Mrs Helen Mathias Mamza said the group which consists of more than 20 major women groups noted that the election of a woman to man the position will make the 8th senate unique in many ways. “In this era of change, the status quo must change so as to give women their right place in the assembly “They posted that, the Adamawa state coalition of women, is throwing its weight behind the Senator elect of Adamawa north senatorial district Hon. Binta Masi Garba for the post of deputy senate president in the 8th assembly,” Mamza said. She stated also that the group was inspired by the surfeit of achievements made by Binta Masi Garba including her passion for service to humanity, her effort at ensuring the upliftment of the womenfolk. “Binta was the first Vice President of Common wealth parliamentarians under common wealth parliamentary association, the first female chairman of a major political party in Nigeria. “She is the only politician to represent two different constituencies in two different states and the first parliamentarian to start poverty alleviation programme for women and youth which was later adopted as constituency projects in the National Assembly in 2003,” she said. Mamza added that the emergence of Hon. Masi as deputy senate president if the position is zoned to the north east, will be a huge plus for the Nigerian women, and APC and a true testimony that the new government meant well for women.