Esther Soyannwo
Esther Oladunni Soyannwo (née Ososami) was a Nigerian teacher and politician. In 1964 she was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives, but was unable to take her seat.
Biography[edit]
Soyannwo was educated at CMS Girls School Lagos and worked as a teacher. A mother of six, [1] she entered politics in the 1950s, joining the Action Group and becoming an activist for its women's section in 1953. She was elected to Ijebu South district council,[2] and was later the Action Group's only female candidate in 1964 parliamentary elections.[3] Her campaign was funded by her brother, a wealthy businessman in Ijebu,[4] who gave her £2,000.[2] Her campaign was also assisted by the Ijebu Women's Association.[2] She defeated her Nigerian National Democratic Party opponent Sanya Onabamiro by 18,232 votes to 2,149,[2] one of the new Action Group candidates to win in Western Region.[1] However, her election led to violence and the party advised her it would be too dangerous to take her seat.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b STRIFE IN NIGERIA: PARTY HITS BACK; Loser in Vote See Threat to Political Existence The New York Times, 14 November 1965
- ^ a b c d e "Nigerian Women Mobilized", Institute of International Studies, 1982, p263
- ^ Flora Nwapa (1987) Women in Politics
- ^ Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch (2018) African Women: A Modern History p185