Re: Are We Ever Going To Have A Female President In Nigeria? -By Harrison Nwachukwu

– Are we ever going to have a female president in Nigeria – ‘Yes, why not, someday, soon!

I once read a question and answer on the subject of “Female Presidency in Nigeria” in an article titled, “Are we ever going to have a female president in Nigeria?” in Pulse, Nigeria of September 22nd. 2020. It was a question from a daughter to a mother and she reportedly replied, “‘Yes, why not, someday, soon! It is not too late, Nigeria is ripe for a female president,” the mother replied and the story continued:

“Mummy, are we ever going to have a female president in Nigeria?”

Two days ago, my daughter jolted me out of my reverie, with this question. We were watching a television programme about the Edo governorship elections at the time. In that moment, I asked myself how I would answer this simple yet very complex question.

I mumbled an unsure ‘yes, why not, someday, soon” in reply. After a while I asked myself the same question introspectively, to see if I could find a logical answer or at least make a prediction. Instead of an answer, I got another very pertinent question?

Is Nigeria ripe for a female president?

First, a little background. The political relevance of Nigerian women is not questionable. Over the years you will find hundreds of womenfolk gathered at every political rally. They sing, dance, offer support to their male counterparts. On the Election Day, you will see them, old and young alike, faithfully queuing up to cast their ballot for their preferred candidates (who are mostly males).

To put this in perspective, women account for approximately 40 million of the 84 million registered voters nationwide in the last national election. This means that they make- up 47.14 percent of the total eligible voters – a potently powerful force to be reckoned. Why then can’t a female presidential candidate emerge and win an election in this nation?

So, are we going to have a female president in Nigeria anytime soon? Why not? There are, however, many questions needing answer before a definite ‘’Yes’ can be offered. I asked myself many:

What do women lack? Is it expertise? Knowledge? Goodwill? The crowd? The financial backing? What bottlenecks exist to cripple their ambition? Is it their gender? Financial strength? Family life? Government policies? Themselves? What really is the obstacle that has prevented Nigeria from producing a female president in almost 60 years of independence? What is the political environment like? Is it favourable to women? What default discriminatory settings need to be adjusted, e.g. political night meetings? Expensive nomination forms?

After this internal monologue, I decided to assess how women have even fared in their quest for the nation’s number one job in the past.

Mrs Sarah Nnadzwa Jibril was Nigeria’s first female presidential candidate. She aspired to the presidency several times and all fell through, losing to both former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo twice and Goodluck Jonathan. She got only one vote when she slugged it out with Goodluck Jonathan to become the party’s flag bearer. As usual, she was compensated with appointments.

In 2015, Oluremi Sonaiya, the only woman in that contest, also ran for Nigeria’s topmost office under the KOWA Party. This attempt too didn’t get too far.

May I continue, in an account of “Women who want to take Buhari’s job”, on July 23rd 2018, in which we also read about the five female presidential aspirants jostling for Buhari’s job in 2019, ready to join the male dominated race for the position of Nigeria’s President come 2019. It was barely seven months to the 2019 general elections, five Nigerian women have declared their intention to unseat President Buhari — a clear indication that not all women belong only to kitchen, living room and the other roo. They include:

1. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies

Olufunmilayo Adesanya-Davies, is a Professor of Language and Communication Arts at the Rivers State University of Education.

The 55-yeasr old who hails from Kwara State, holds a Doctor of Divinity (D.D) degree and Professor of Divinity (Honoris Causa) award of Northwestern Christian University, Florida, United States of America.

Professor Adesanya-Davies is also a cleric and founder of the Agape Bible Church.

“I am aspiring to be the next president of Nigeria. I am out to put laughter of joy on the mouth of all,” she said.

Adesanya-Davies said she had wanted to be former president Goodluck Jonathan’s running mate in 2015 adding that Patience Jonathan has endorsed her presidential ambition.

“2015 was when I first thought about being a presidential aspirant. This is for the main reason that I was born October 15th and I got married at October 15th. did not listen to me.

“But delay is not denial. That is why I am staging a come-back. I have done some consultations.

2. Oluremi Comfort Sonaiya

After a somewhat unsuccessful aim at the 2015 presidency in 2015, Remi Sonaiya is making a second attempt at Nigeria’s top job – that of the President.

Sonaiya, 63, is an educationalist, writer and founder of the KOWA Party.

She holds a PhD in Linguistics from Cornell University in America.

Sonaiya believes leadership is Nigeria’s biggest problem, a quality she promises to provide if she becomes President in 2019.

3. Elishama Rosemary Ideh

Elishama Rosemary Ideh is running for the position of Nigeria’s president on the platform of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN).

Ideh says she would provide articulated workable solutions to address the myriad of problems confronting Nigeria.

“Nigeria needs a leader who combines integrity with intelligence and a deep and vast understanding of the implications of the 21st global economy and Nigeria’s place in it,” she added.

4. Adeline Iwuagwu-Emihe

Adeline Iwuagwu-Emihe, an American-trained political administrator is also eyeing President Buhar’s job come 2019.

She is running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alongside Atiku Abubakar and others.

Iwuagwu-Emihe, recently released a ten-point transformational and developmental agenda she hopes to “vigorously” pursue if given the presidential mandate.

“I believe that with the right leadership, equitable distribution and management of the nation’s given natural and human resources, it is possible to adequately provide for all citizens both big and small.

“Although the nation’s constitution is limited in its pagination, it is huge in its provision for equity and justice for all the people. We must use it as the common ground to love and care for one another,” she added.

5. Eunice Atuejide

Eunice Atuejide, 39, is the founder of the National Interest Party (NIP).

Atuejide is the presidential flagbearer of the NIP.

A legal practitioner, Atuejide has also traveled to at least seventy-six countries and a hundred and thirty cities across the globe.

She speaks Igbo, Yoruba, German, English and French fluently.

Lastly, In 2019, 55-year-old Oby Ezekwesili was one of the 73 candidates that were in the presidential race like Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies
and Eunice Atuejide. They wee six female aspirants but three emerged as candidates after Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies
and Eunice Atuejide stepped down for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at the PDP/CUPP arrangements. Oby Ezekwesili joined the race as the last last woman, making six of them.

The former World Bank Vice-president, co-founder of the anti-corruption group, Transparency International, and leader of the Bring Back Our Girls Campaign contested on the platform of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria. Sadly, however, on January 24, 2019 in a series of tweets, Mrs Ezekwesili expressed her decision to step down and focus on helping to build a coalition as alternative to the dominant political parties in the nation.

I remembered how Oby’s announcement in particular shattered me then. Her tenacious participation in the race for Aso Rock had fanned the embers of hope in my heart as a woman. Her withdrawal cut deep. This was 2019, the year after Singapore and Vietnam elected their first female presidents. This was 2019, when Ethiopia elected Sahle-work Zewde as her first female president to lead a 50 percent female cabinet. Rwanda, a country still bearing the scars of genocide has 61 percent female legislature, hugely contrasting Nigeria’s 5.6 per cent female representation, the lowest in an African country included in the UN’s women in Politics map.

On a parting note, I would like to ask, how did Liberia beat Nigeria to having a female head of state in Africa? Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the 24th and first female president of her country from 16th January 2006 to the 22nd of January 2018, and it was 12 good years of commendable leadership. One would have thought that Nigeria, being a trail blazer in African politics would have been the one to lead the way in the continent.

Nigeria, a leading voice to be to be reckoned with in advocacy and policy making regarding issues of gender equality and women empowerment, should have championed this mission for full female participation and representation in the continental politics. Alas! She is the one having to queue behind smaller countries who have achieved this feat ahead of her.

It is not too late. Nigeria is ripe for a female president. If it doesn’t happen in my life time, I pray it happens in my daughter’s lifetime, she concluded.

However, all hope is not lost, mother and daughter, towards 2023 presidential poll, may I again introduce to you one of the female presidential candidates in 2019 election, who still intends to contest. She is Amb. Prof. Mercy Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies (PMA).

Amb. Prof. Mercy Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies (PMA) is an household name in the annals of Nigeria politics whose exploits in the game of politics actively dominated by men could not be swept underneath. Having paid her dues in humanity services and to the nation as a whole, she has decided to venture into race for the topmost position in the Nigeria political realm being dominated mainly by men.

She is a frontline female Presidential aspirant on the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the forthcoming 2023 Presidential Election in the country.She is usually being known and popularly referred to on Socio-media as PMA-CHOICE!

A SHORT PROFILE OF AMB. PROF. FUNMILAYO ADESANYA-DAVIES

AMB. FUNMILAYO ADESANYA-DAVIES, a linguist educationist public servant since 1988, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, has served as a University lecturer and administrator for thirty-six (36) years, 1985 to-date as a consultant, researcher and activist to-date. Mercy Olufunmilayo, a multi-talented teacher of teachers is a member of POLAC Int’l Peace Advocate, who currently serves as the Country President, International director, as well as, the Deputy Chairperson on the board, serving humanity towards achieving ECOWAS millennium goals. POLAC – Positive Livelihood Award Centre, alias UN-POLAC ‘s mandate is to enhance the effectiveness of the UN millennium development goals and UNESCO Culture of Peace Programme particularly the maintenance of peace and unity in diversity.

Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies hails from Ira, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. In the political parlance, once an ardent Member of ACCORD Party in Kwara State over the years, then a prominent People’s Democratic Party (PDP) member, and presidential aspirant in 2019, she later emerged as the presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA) in the 2019 election. She is the editor and co-author of the celebrated and popular presidential endorsed book, Jonathan/ Sambo Presidency in Nigeria: A Symbol of Peace, Unity and Progress, placed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in every University and National libraries of the Country, in line with the Commission’s continued efforts to promote publications, research quality and global visibility of academic staff in the Nigerian University System.

A credible woman of impeccable character, she believes in determination, professionalism, excellence, accomplishment and experience. One who cherishes the ideals of a democratic, free and egalitarian society, she thus emerged as the ticket bearer of MAJA and a female candidate in 2019. She is known for her leadership prowess and competence, strategic mind, ability and skills, vocal audacity, strong presence and personality. She demonstrates resilience as well as versatility, locally, nationally and internationally and political interest, education, humanitarian activities, general experience in administration, in over three decades.

Mercy Olufunmilayo Adesanya-Davies with her B.A (Ife), M.A English (Ilorin), Ph.D Applied Linguistics & Communication Studies (Port Harcourt) and P.G.D.E (Port Harcourt) holds a Doctor of Divinity (D.D) and Professor of Divinity (Honoris Causa) of Northwestern Christian University, USA. She is also working currently on her second Ph.D in Clinical Linguistics and Psychology at TBU-GE, New York, USA, where she serves as an adjunct professor and consultant.

Mercy is an academic and educational consultant, on professorial cadre, at Rivers State University of Education, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, where she has lectured in language, linguistics and communication studies in the past thirty-two years. She also facilitates courses in Language and General Studies at the National Open University, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria and has served on sabbatical, as Deputy Provost at Life gate College of Education, Ilorin; Kwara State, Nigeria; Dean at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of Regent University of Science and Technology, Accra, Ghana and a Visiting Professor to the University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana. Mercy, an international educationist, is an External Examiner, supervisor of Doctoral dissertations, for the School of Postgraduate Studies of one of the African number One Universities, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Mercy Davies facilitates Seminars and Workshops for Longman Pearson, Nigeria and Cinefores, Brainfriend Project, Lagos, Nigeria.

She has over one hundred national and international published articles, books and poems to her credit and has delivered several scholarly, professional and public lectures in Nigeria, Africa, UK, Europe, United States, Canada, etc. Mercy is a member of; The British Association for Applied Linguistics (UK), Internationale de Linguistiquee (AILA), International Phonetics Association, UK., Linguistic Association of Nigeria (LAN) Nigeria, The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and Teachers Registration Council (TRC) Nigeria etc. She also serves as External Examiner supervising Doctoral dissertations for the School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Passionate about the transformation, development, progress and unity of Nigeria, she is an accomplished educationist, who believes she can boost Nigeria’s Human Capital Development Index and its Competitiveness in the area of skills and talent management. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, the Chairperson of Princess Mercy Ade-Davies International Foundation (PMADIF) is the newly appointed Country President of POLAC vying for the position of Nigeria President as the only Amazon Aspirant of Nigeria’s largest party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.