Aisha Alhassan

By Eromosele Ebhomele.

The lawmaker representing Epe Constituency 2 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Segun Olulade, on Sunday predicted that Nigeria will produce its first female President in less than 20 years from now.

Olulade said this in the wake of Saturday’s pronouncement of the tribunal declaring Hajia Aisha Jumai Alhassan of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governor of Taraba State in the 11 April election after nullifying the process that produced Darius Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The tribunal nullified the election of Ishaku because the process that produced him was faulty.

Olulade said the court had proven that the emergence of the first female governor in Nigeria is an indication that gender sentiments no longer held sway in Nigeria’s political landscape. “If a woman can emerge governor in a state where there are millions of men, then a woman can emerge President of Nigeria sooner than expected,” Olulade said.

Olulade, while reacting to the pronouncement, lauded the verdict of the tribunal headed by Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar, stating that the era of impunity had ceased “with this landmark judgement.”

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State had condemned the tribunal judgement saying it cannot hold as it was a miscarriage of justice. But Olulade said Fayose was not in tandem with the provision of Electoral Act which mandated the conduct of valid primaries by all parties as condition for legitimate participation in the general elections.