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From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Representative of Anambra Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, Uche Ekwunife, has made some revelations on why the gender bills suffered defeat in the legislative chambers.
A member of Peoples Democratic Party, she said cultural and religious factors were partly responsible for the non-passage of the bills. She also revealed that some of their male counterparts didn’t vote; hence, the female lawmakers’ inability to pull through.
“The gender bills failed in the National Assembly because most of the men did not vote because of culture, norm, tradition, custom, religion and so many other considerations.
“We lobbied very vigorously to ensure we get our colleagues to vote but unfortunately, many of them did not vote. But that will not deter us. We will continue to represent those bills and I believe that sooner than later they will understand the need for us to have at least 35 per cent women representation in both chambers,” she said.
The lawmaker, however, praised the women for their resilience and doggedness, saying the women in the country and, indeed, around the world have proved they have the capacity to lead and get good results. I urge our women to continue to push further; a woman is a unifier, a builder, a developer, a woman is all. I celebrate women and I believe every woman will succeed,” Ekwunife said.
