Politics : 25 Bayelsa women jostling for APC, PDP tickets for national, state assemblies seats
Increase participation of women in politics is encouraging – Stakeholders
No fewer than 25 women in Bayelsa State have joined the struggle for the tickets of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the 2023 state and National Assemblies elections in the state.
The PDP state women leader, Christy Ebele, said the increase in the participation of women in the 2023 elections is encouraging and urged the various political parties to ensure that women are allowed into elective offices more than the needed 35% affirmative action.
The state publicity secretary of the PDP, Hon Ebiye Ogoli told reporters that he does not have specific number of women who have declared interest in elective offices, but acknowledged that they are many.
The special adviser to the governor on political matters, High Chief Collins Cocodia, while addressing a forum of Women Councillors in the state on Friday, April 01, 2022, said aside from the fact that female councillors in the local government councils performed better than the men, Governor Douye Diri as an absolute supporter of women in politics, would ensure that more women are given opportunities, especially in elective offices, ahead of the next general election.
In the APC, the women seeking elective offices include the immediate past director-general of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah Donli (Senate, Bayelsa Central), a former police commissioner, Diseye Nsirim-Powerigha (Senate, Bayelsa Central) and a one-time women leader of the PDP and former caretaker chairperson of Brass local government council, Hon Helen Bob (State Assembly, Brass 2).
Others include Stella Coker (State Assembly, Sagbama 3), Pastor Esther Sayoe Martins (State Assembly, YEN 2) and Ditei Osunu (S/Ijaw 1).
In the men’ categories, the list of contestants in the PDP kept growing daily above the ordered three nominations per constituency by the state caucus of the party. Already, the party has over 50 persons indicating interest in the 24 seats of the State House of Assembly aside from the incumbent legislators who are interested in coming back.
Among those from PDP that have publicly declared for State Assembly are Hon. Tari Porri (Ekeremor), the aide to Governor Diri on state assembly matters, Hon Alfred Belemote (Brass), Hon Mathew Sele-epiri (Southern Ijaw), Hon Gabriel Michael Ogbara (Ogbia), Apigi Jackson (Ogbia).
Others who declared for the National Assembly seats are the secretary to the state government, Kombowei Benson, Senate (Bayelsa Central); former education commissioner, Dr Jonathan Obuebite (Reps, Nembe/Brass), the chairman of state Environmental Sanitation Authority, Hon Tolu Amatu (Reps, Ekeremor/Sagbama); chairman of Ogbia local government area, Ebiyoun Turner(Reps, Ogbia); former information commissioner, Hon Daniel Markson Iworiso (Reps, Ogbia); Bayelsa Assembly member, Hon Mieteme Obodoh (Reps, Ogbia).
