The Coalition For Women Participation In Governance and Leadership (CFWPGL) has threatened to take legal action against the 10th National Assembly and stop the forthcoming inauguration if it fails to consider women as presiding officers in the House of Representatives and all State Assemblies.
The CFWPGL condemned the abysmal number of women going to the 10th National Assembly, saying it negates the 35 per cent affirmative action of women in governance.
The coalition made up of over 2,000 women groups disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Secretary of the coalition, Atinuke Olaolu in Abuja.
The statement noted that it is tragic that at a time when Nigeria is expected to have more women leaders, it is rather edging them out.
The coalition, therefore, said it had no option but to seek redress in a competent court of jurisdiction and obtain an injunction that would stop the inauguration of the National Assembly in the interest of equity, fairness and justice.
The statement read, "The CFWPGL has decried the abysmal number of women that emerged in parliament in the 10th assembly.
“It is tragic that in a time Nigeria is meant to be growing into leadership, its women population are rather edging them out.
“Unfortunately, the federal government has aided this hanging of women by the gallows by also being in court with Nigerian women.
“The coalition made up of over 2,000 women’s coalition is seeking to go to court to get an injunction against the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.
"They hereby demand that a woman must be considered for as presiding officer in the Federal House of Representatives and all state assemblies with ranking members must consider women who are ranking in order to emerge as presiding officer and chair significant committees.
"Only 78 women in total won in the entire election in the last 2023 election, with only these women returning categorically to the 10th House of Representatives as ranking members while the Senate has 3 newcomers in the red chambers, the women at the HoR are as follows; (APC/Abia); Beni Lar (PDP/Plateau), Khadijat Abba-Ibrahim (APC/Yobe), Zainab Gimba (APC/Borno), Blessing Onuh (APC/Benue), Boma Goodhead (PDP/Rivers), Aisha Dukku (APC/Gombe), Adewunmi Onanuga (APC/Ogun), Tolulope Akande- Shadipe ( APC/Oyo , Taiwo Oluga (APC/Osun) and Miriam Onuoha (APC/Imo).
"However, it is only Rt. Hon Princess Miriam Onuoha that has declared and thrown her hat in the race for Speakership of the House of Representatives and Nigerian women are solidly behind her and other women at the state assemblies who are also ranking for presiding offices.
"It is an obvious mechanization by the misogynistic advances of the men in parliament to discredit whatever gains Nigerian women have had so far by edging them out.”
The statement also called for a review of five gender bills which were rejected by the 9th Assembly.
"The Coalition for women’s participation in governance and leadership is also calling out the president-elect to put practice his promise to include women’s participation at least 35% as demanded by the Revised Gender policy.”
"He must also remember that this is a true test of the commitment to remove Nigeria from the red list and the hall of shame for countries who have no duty to ending all forms of violence against women,” the statement adds.