Bye-election: Igbinedion declares return bid, says it’s ‘woman o’clock’

Daughter of Chief Esama Igbinedion and former lawmaker, Hon. Omosede Igbinedion, has declared her intention to return to the House of Representatives, vying for the Ovia Federal Constituency seat under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The seat became vacant following the emergence of Dennis Idahosa as the deputy governor of Edo State after contesting and winning in September 2024.

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Igbinedion, who represented the constituency in the 8th Assembly from 2015 to 2019, is seeking a return through the August 16 bye-election.

Addressing journalists after obtaining her Nomination and Expression of interest forms at the party headquarters in Abuja on Thursday evening, Igbinedion called for greater inclusion of women in legislative positions, noting that female perspectives are essential in the national discourse.

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According to her, “I want to say that it’s woman o’clock. You know, we have very few women in the National Assembly. And I think it is essential for more female voices to be heard, because a female voice is a very different voice.”

Emphasizing her grassroots connection and legislative experience, the aspirant described herself as the most qualified candidate to continue the work already started in the constituency.

She said, “I was a former member of the House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019, and now, once more, I happen to be contesting, this time under the APC, to represent the good people of Ovia North-East and Ovia South-West Federal Constituency.

“I am a grassroots politician. Making an impact is what is so important to me. Growing up in a very political home and having a father that I can say is one of the greatest philanthropists I’ve ever known has really impacted me and made me want to give back, one way or the other”.

As a lawyer and seasoned legislator, Igbinedion said she intends to focus on bills and policies that address the needs of women, children, and vulnerable groups.

She also pledged to focus on rural development, security, education reform, and healthcare improvement in underserved communities.

“Being a lawyer and having that background, being a legislator, it’s quite similar. And therefore, on that note, I thought, of course, from the time I first contested, that aiming and going into the House of Representatives to impact not just infrastructurally or by projects, but also looking at legislation too and how we can improve upon some of the laws that we have in existence right now, especially concerning women and children.

“When I was in the House of Reps, I looked at various things, such as women that were behind bars and were pregnant, breastfeeding, or had children, and how this impacted on them and how we could at least work around this.

“I looked at rural development too and how we could assist our rural communities and give more incentives to rural teachers. Of course, at that time too, the insecurity challenges that we faced was something that I brought to the floor quite often as well. And education, educational reforms.

“So all these areas. Health too, how we can improve upon our healthcare, especially in rural communities, to make it more accessible and find more innovative means of giving the rural communities access to good health care. I’m going back this time, by God’s grace, to continue the good works from where the former House of Reps member stopped, who is now the current Deputy Governor of Edo State, Right Honorable Dennis Idahosa,” she added.

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