The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Presidential candidate for the 2019 general elections, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has promised that women will play lead role in his administration of elected.
Atiku who walk into Chida Hotel amidst thoundrous cheers from women at the maiden interactive seesion with women groups in Abuja, on Wednesday noted that, charged Nigerians to hold him accountable.
He said, “you know i stand before you here today and I want you to hold me accountable, I will commit to a strong representation of women in our PDP government and also recall that when u was the vice president, I demonstrated this belief, i brought some of the brightest women into our government.
The former vice president also added that, “gender should not be a barrier. In terms of quantity and quality, women will play a lead role in our administration. I will also want to build, amongst of you to build a sustainable financial inclusion system that positively try to discriminate against women.
He explained further that, ” let me tell you what I’ve been trying to do since 1999 to produce one single deputy governor in the northern States. I have tried all my best, I have sponsored women as deputy governors, I lost all my money, up till today I have not succeeded.
“What I will like to propose as far as that issue is concerned is for the party itself to make it mandatory that a certain percentage of the positions of deputy governors to be women, whether it is 30% or 40% should be reserved for women deputy governors, he said.
Wazirin Adamawa also suggested that, ” the only way is to get the parties to make it mandatory to say a certain percentage of deputy governors should be women otherwise, if we allow it to evolve on its own it will take maybe another hundred years .
On the Security challenges, Atiku lamented that, “these security agencies have sworn their allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria not a particular government and not to a particular individual, we must make sure that their allegiance is to the Federal Republic of Nigeria not the individuals.
“It is very very tempting, this government is doing the reverse, they are demanding allegiance to their government and their persons not to the Federal Republic of Nigeria so therefore that is why we see injustice being committed by security agencies all over the place. You didn’t witness that with the PDP government only when APC government, they turned the police to their personal police, they turned the military , the same thing all other security agencies the same, he said.
In attendance are: PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, former Presidential aspirants, Kabir Tanimu Turaki SAN, former Ogun state governor and PDP Senate Party leader, Senator Abiodun Olujimi amongst others.
