Decline in elected female lawmakers worrisome — Aisha Buhari

Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari has
expressed concern over decline in the number of
female legislature in the eighth Assembly.
Aisha spoke on Sunday, in Abuja, at a reception
organised by the Committee of friends in honour of
former Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State.
She said that for the nation to attain the 35 per
cent affirmative action by 2019, men must
encourage and support women to occupy key
elective positions in the country.
“Supporting women to contest elective positions
has become imperative as the number of female
legislators have declined because some of them
lost their seats during the last general elections.
“As the number of female legislature decline, we
wish that men in Nigeria will support the women to
attain the 35 per cent affirmative action in 2019,’’
she said.
Aisha specifically commended Chief Bola Tinubu, a
chieftain of the APC, for the support given to his
wife, Senator Oluremi, in winning a senatorial seat
from Lagos.
She urged men, particularly those in politics to
emulate the former Lagos governor by encouraging
their wives to vie for elective positions, come
2019.
Aisha also commended Amaechi for his
courageous roles that led to the victory of the APC
in this year’s general elections.
She said Amaechi stood firmly by the party,
showed commitment, courage and patriotism in
ensuring that the country attained the positive
change it was yearning for.
The wife of the president noted that as the
Director-General of the APC Campaign
Organisation, Amaechi showed “doggedness,
toughness and steadfastness.’’
Speaking at the event, the Vice President,
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, described Amaechi as “a
man of tremendous courage,” adding that
Amaechi’s role in the last election, stood out, and
that accounted for why he was being celebrated.
“One thing I personally admire about him is his
forthrightness; his ability to say it like it is, and we
have never been in doubt about where he stands
on any issue at all. He has the capacity for the big
ideas. Any state governor that will build a railway
is a man of big ideas,’’ he said.