… promises to deliver quality, responsible representation
Adebayo Adenrele
Prominent philanthropist and politician contesting for Ekiti Central Federal Constituency I (Ado Ekiti/Irepodun/Ifelodun) ticket under the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC) at the House of Representatives, Tokunbo Ajila‑Jakande, popularly known as TAJ, has expressed dissatisfaction with the low level of women’s representation in the National Assembly, calling for stronger measures to ensure greater inclusion of women in governance.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti during a special congress organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, Ajila-Jakande said the country was yet to achieve the widely advocated 35 per cent affirmative action for women in politics, noting that the current composition of the legislature falls far short of that benchmark.
According to her, the number of women in both chambers of the National Assembly of Nigeria remains significantly low, explaining that if the 35 per cent affirmative action were implemented, about 150 women should be in the House of Representatives, while roughly 40 should occupy seats in the Senate.
Ajila-Jakande also lamented the absence of female representation from Ekiti State in the current National Assembly, noting that only three women have represented Ekiti at the federal level in the past.
She appealed to the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, to support the emergence of more female candidates in future elections, adding that women across the state remain supportive of the governor’s administration and his re-election bid.
Her words, “I am not satisfied with the number of women in politics. We have been begging for women’s inclusiveness, 35% to be precise. As you can see in the National Assembly, in the Green Chamber, I don’t think we have up to 20 women out of 360. In the Red Chamber, I don’t think we have up to 12 out of 109.
“35% of 109 should be about 40 and 35% of 360 should be about 150, but that’s not the case here. In Ekiti State, the current National Assembly we have nine and they are all men.
“I cannot give you exactly what history has produced regarding women in Ekiti, but I know about three women that have represented us.
“We are asking, we are begging the state government. We know that our governor, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, is a lover of women. He understands the female gender and he respects them. We are asking him that he should please ensure that in the next National Assembly we produce at least two women either in the Green Chamber or the Red Chamber, or in the combination of both.
“Women are in support of his administration. We are in support of his re-election because he has done well. I’m also using this opportunity to beg Mummy Remi Tinubu, the First Lady of Nigeria, to please make it I’m not saying mandatory, that at least a woman or two women from every state should be included in the National Assembly”.
