WTC Primary School Enugu, Federal School of Art and Science Ogoja, University of Calabar, University of Wisconsin, Management Institute of Canada
University of Port Harcourt,
Rose Okoji Oko (27 September 1956 – 23 March 2020) was a Nigerian politician and senator.[1] She was a Member of the Federal House of Representatives from the
People's Democratic Party (PDP), representing
Yala/Ogoja Federal Constituency in Nigeria's 7th National Assembly. She was elected into office as the first female representative from her constituency in June 2011 and sat as Deputy Chairman House Committee on Education. She was the Senator representing the people of
Cross River North Senatorial District. She was elected into office as the first female representative from her Senatorial District in June 2015.[2]
Okoji Oko started her career in the
Nigerian Youth Service Corps as a tutor in Edgerly Memorial Girls Secondary School,
Calabar in 1981. Between 1982 and 1983 she taught at St. Patricks College, Calabar and in the same year moved to become a lecturer at the Cross River School of Basic Studies Akampka. She held this position till 1984 when she moved to the University of Calabar to become an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Language and Linguistics until 1986 when she was promoted to become Lecturer in the same department.[citation needed] In 1989 at the age of 33, she was recognized for her years of service and started her career as a public servant when she was appointed
Commissioner of Education,
Cross River State; a position she held till 1991. In that same period, she served as Chairperson Better Life Programme, Cross River Chapter from 1990–1991.
In 1993 she was appointed Director General, National Defence & Security Council, Cabinet Secretariat under the military presidency. She held this position simultaneously with the National Commissioner, National Electoral Commission (NEC) now known as
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Between 1993 and 1994 she was appointed Director General, Provisional Ruling Council again under the then Military Presidency.
In 1995 she was appointed to [3] (NCFR) now known asNational Commission For Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons. In 2002 she retired.
Political career
In 1999 Rose registered and formed part of the team to introduce the
People's Democratic Party (PDP) to Cross River State as an inactive member of the party. Between 2002 and 2004 after she retired from public service, she registered and introduced the
National Democratic Party (NDP) to Cross River State and served as the Deputy Chairman South, Board of Trustees, NDP. In 2003 when Nigeria held the first democratic election since the handover of power from military to civilian rule, Okoji Oko contested as a senate candidate, Cross River State North Senatorial District under the NDP banner, a contest she lost to the PDP candidate at the time. She continued to serve as chairman of the board of trustees for the NDP party up until 2007, when she ran in the country's second official democratic election as a gubernatorial candidate for Cross River State, a contest she lost to the PDP candidate.
In that same year, she re-enlisted as a member with the PDP and in the 2011 democratic elections ran for Member National Assembly, Federal House of Representatives. Yala/Ogoja Federal Constituency. A position she held until her death. She was elected as a senator and she represented the north of the state where she was born. There were over 100 senators elected in the
8th National Assembly in 2015, but only six of these were women. The others were
Stella Oduah and
Uche Ekwunife who both represent
Anambra.
Fatimat Raji Rasaki,
Oluremi Tinubu and
Binta Garba.[4]
In 2019, she was re-elected as Senator representing Cross River State Northern Senatorial District for a second term, and was appointed Chairman, Senate Committee on Trade and Investment.[6]
Selected publications
1986: "Tense and Aspect in Yala". The Journal of West Africa Languages, Vol.1 pp. 37–52.
1987: "Languages and Education in Nigeria. The Case of the English Language", in
Ernest Emenyonu|Emenyonu E. N. (ed.) Studies in African Literature, pp. 229–311.
1990: "Interrogation in Yala". Ph.D. Thesis, University of Port Harcourt.
1992: The Grammar of Question Formation in Yala. Kraft's Book Publishers, Ibadan.
ISBN9782081116[7]
Membership of learned societies
West African Linguistics Society
Linguistics Association of Nigeria
The Association for Commonwealth Literature and Linguistics Studies
Calabar Doyen Lioness Club
Calabar Municipal Lions Club
Yala Women's Association
Cross River State Northern Women's Association
Madonna Sisters Association
Catholic Women Organisation
Patron, Model Secondary School, Okpoma, Cross River State
Vice President, Cross River State Association, Abuja
Patron, Exquisite Ladies Association, Cross River State
Patron, Voice of Women (Network Organisation), Cross River State
Patron, Intimate Ladies Association, Cross River State[citation needed]
Member House of Representatives
Senator Oko commenced a four-year tenure as Member House of Representatives, Yala/Ogoja Federal Constituency in June 2011.
That year she was appointed to the following committees:
^Abaribe was elected as a member of the PDP but switched to the APC in May 2022.
^Abbo was elected as a member of the PDP but switched to the APC in November 2020.
^Akpan was elected as a member of the PDP but switched to the YPP in July 2022.
^The PDP's Ekpenyong was elected senator in 2019 but a Court of Appeal partially annulled the results and called a supplementary election in the affected areas. Ekpenyong won the ensuing rerun election and was sworn-in again in January 2020.
^Oduah was elected as a member of the PDP but switched to the APC in August 2021 before returning to the PDP in April 2022.
^Jika was elected as a member of the APC but switched to the NNPP in June 2022.
^Bulkachuwa was elected as a member of the APC but switched to the PDP in November 2022.
^Gumau was elected as a member of the APC but switched to the NNPP in May 2022.
^The PDP's
Douye Diri was elected senator in 2019 but resigned in February 2020 after winning
election to become Bayelsa State Governor. Cleopas won the ensuing bye-election and took office in December 2020.
^The PDP's
Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo was elected senator in 2019 but resigned in February 2020 after winning
election to become Bayelsa State Deputy Governor. Dickson won the ensuing bye-election and took office in December 2020.
^
abIn April 2022, Adamu and Kyari resigned from the Senate after taking APC party offices the month prior.
^The PDP's
Rose Okoji Oko was elected senator in 2019 but died in March 2020. Jarigbe and fellow PDP member Stephen Odey fought in court over the ensuing by-election's PDP nomination; Odey won both initial court decisions and the by-election before taking office late in December 2020. However, Jarigbe later won several court challenges which declared him the legitimate PDP nominee and thus senator. Jarigbe took office in September 2021.
^Nwaoboshi was elected as a member of the PDP but switched to the APC in June 2021.
^Alimikhena was elected as a member of the APC but switched to the PDP in June 2022.
^The APC's
Adedayo Clement Adeyeye was elected senator in 2019 but the NASS Election Petition Tribunal awarded and Court of Appeal affirmed the win to Olujimi. She took office in November 2019.
^Onyewuchi was elected as a member of the PDP but switched to the LP in June 2022.
^Due to disputes over alleged irregularities, the APC's
Benjamin Uwajumogu was not sworn in until July 2019. Uwajumogu died in December 2019 leading to a bye-election. After disputes, Ibezim was awarded the bye-election victory and took office in April 2021.
^Due to disputes over the alleged forced declaration of his election, Okorocha was not sworn in until June 14, 2019.
^Shekarau was elected as a member of the APC but switched to the NNPP in May 2022 then to the PDP in August 2022.
^Babba Kaita was elected as a member of the APC but switched to the PDP in April 2022.
^Aliero was elected as a member of the APC but switched to the PDP in May 2022.
^Abdullahi was elected as a member of the APC but switched to the PDP in June 2022.
^The PDP's
Dino Melaye was elected senator in 2019 but Adeyemi petitioned against the results and the NASS Election Petition Tribunal annulled the results and called a new election. Adeyemi won the ensuing rerun election and took office in December 2019.
^The APC's
Adebayo Osinowo was elected senator in 2019 but died in June 2020. Abiru won the ensuing bye-election and took office in December 2020.
^Akwashiki was elected as a member of the APC but switched to the SDP in July 2022.
^The APC's
David Umaru was elected senator in 2019 but the Supreme Court awarded the APC primary win to Musa making him senator. He took office in July 2019.
^Balogun was elected as a member of the PDP but switched to the APC in May 2022.
^The APC's
Ignatius Datong Longjan was elected senator in 2019 but died in February 2020. Daduut won the ensuing bye-election and took office in December 2020.
^The APC's
Abubakar Shehu Tambuwal was elected senator in 2019 but a Court of Appeal awarded the win to Abdullahi Danbaba. He took office in November 2019 as a member of the PDP but switched to the APC in April 2022.
^Bwacha was elected as a member of the PDP but switched to the APC in February 2022.
^
abcPrior to inauguration, the APC's Zamfara votes were voided due to improper holding of party primaries. Thus the PDP runners-up took office. All three (Anka,
Hassan Muhammed Gusau, Yaú) switched to the APC in June 2021. In February 2022, Muhammed Gusau resigned to become Zamfara Deputy Governor.