Princess Onuoha, a member of the 10th National Assembly who represents the Onuimo/Isiala Mbano/Okigwe Federal Constituency in Imo State, claimed to have the backing of 198 other members in her bid to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

This was said by Onuoha in an interview that aired on Politics Today on Channels Television on Thursday.

She said, “I have about 198 members whom I have talked to and I have got their ultimate buy-in in my kitty. Politics is not about making noise.”

Despite Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) winning in Imo, Onuoha, who was re-elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said she performed for her party’s flag bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at the February 25 presidential election.

Since she is from the South-East, Onuoha, the sole female candidate for Nigeria’s fourth-place spot, claimed she will not be competing.

Because of the zoning issue, Onuoha stated, “I am not running. The Nigerian people have my presence, and I have promised to help them and to provide them with strong, effective leadership.

“The South-East has been solidly behind the APC. I have been a solid member of the All Progressives Congress. I put my billboard in the South-East running campaigns alongside Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I know the backlash I got from the people yet I was able to garner over 44,000 votes for myself and for the presidential election. So, we delivered.

“My federal constituency won. I delivered and I have the evidence. My people voted because they didn’t want to take a chance by voting for another party…I have brought participatory governance to my people; politics of inclusivity.

“So, you want to say I will not compete and contest alongside other candidates who might not have delivered? South-East is not the only zone which did not come up as expected. We have the north where the NNPP also made inroads.”

The next Speaker of the green chamber, according to Onuoha, must meet certain criteria. She claimed that during the general elections, she had battled and defeated men, and that she was prepared to do so again.

“I have paid my dues,” the APC lawmaker stated, adding that “my people said I have raised the bar of leadership”.

To ensure that resolutions don’t become tissue papers, Onuoha pledged to enhance the legislative-executive communication with new ideas.

She swore to shatter records like Patricia Etteh, who served as the first female Speaker of the House from June to October 2007.

Remember that the APC won more than 160 of the 360 seats in the green chamber, the biggest number of any party, in the National Assembly election on February 25.

The APC asserted that it has not yet decided on zoning for the 10th National Assembly leadership.