Patricia Akwashiki

{{short description|Nigerian senator}}

{{Use Nigerian English|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Patricia Naomi Akwashiki

| image = Patricia Akwashiki.jpg

| width = 150px

| office1 = Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from Nasarawa North Senatorial District

| term_start1 = 29 May 2007

| term_end1 = May 2011

| predecessor1 = John Danboyi

| successor1 = Yusuf Musa Nagogo

| office2 = Nigerian Minister of Information

| term_start2 = March 2015

| term_end2 = May 2015

| predecessor2 = Labaran Maku

| successor2 = Lai Mohammed

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|11|2|df=y}}

| birth_place = Nasarawa State, Nigeria

| death_date =

| party = People's Democratic Party, PDP

| Educational background =

| mainwidth =

| nationality = Nigerian

| native_name =

}}

Patricia Naomi Akwashiki (born 2 November 1953) is a Nigerian politician who served as a senator representing Nasarawa North senatorial district in the Nigerian Senate from 2007 to 2011. She is a member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).{{cite web

|url=http://www.nassnig.org/senate/member.php?senator=94&page=1&state=26

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193436/http://www.nassnig.org/senate/member.php?senator=94&page=1&state=26

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=2016-03-03

|publisher=National Assembly of Nigeria

|title=Sen. Patricia N. Akwashiki

|access-date=2010-06-09}}

Akwashiki earned a BA in Education from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1982. She entered the banking industry, where she became a senior manager.

She was elected to the 5th Assembly of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007 on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform. She failed to win the PDP nomination to run for a second term and switched to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), on which ticket she won election in 2007 as Senator for Nasarawa North.{{cite web

|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200904280618.html

|title=Akwashiki - Senator Without Constituency?

|work=Daily Independent

|date=28 April 2009

|access-date=2010-06-09}} After taking her seat in the Senate in May 2007, Akwashiki was appointed to committees on States and Local Government, Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, Communications, Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions and Women and Youth. In a mid-term evaluation of senators in May 2009, ThisDay noted that she sponsored a bill to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and contributed brilliantly to debate in plenary and committee assignments.{{cite web

|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200905250350.html?viewall=1

|title=An Improved Senate, But Some Uninspiring Senators...

|work=ThisDay

|date=24 May 2009

|access-date=2010-06-09}} In January 2010, she returned to the PDP, citing injustice and insensitivity of the ANPP national secretariat and factional infighting in the state chapter of the party as her reasons.{{cite web

|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201001250926.html

|title=Why I Dumped ANPP - Senator Akwashiki

|work=Leadership

|author=Andrew Oota

|date=23 January 2010

|access-date=2010-06-09}}

In March 2015, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Akwashiki as the Minister of Information.{{cite web|url=http://newswirengr.com/2015/03/18/breaking-jonathan-appoints-senator-patricia-akwashiki-minister-of-information-obanikoro-foreign-affairs/|title=Breaking; Jonathan Appoints Senator Patricia Akwashiki Minister Of Information, Obanikoro Foreign Affairs|date=18 March 2015|access-date=8 May 2017}}

In 2018, Akwashiki declared her interest in running for governor of Nasarawa State, predicting that she would be Nigeria's first elected female governor, but failed to secure her party's ticket for the 2019 general election.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/09/2019-ill-be-nigerias-first-female-elected-governor-akwashiki/|title=2019: I'll be Nigeria's first female elected governor - Akwashiki|date=2018-09-08|website=Vanguard News|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-22}}{{Cite web|url=https://punchng.com/2019-election-female-candidate-can-emerge-governor-senator/|title=2019 election: Female candidate can emerge governor –Senator|website=Punch Newspapers|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-22}}