APC primaries: Omisore assures women aspirants of support

The National Secretary of the All Progressive Party (APC), Senator Otunba Iyiola Omisore, has assured of more women emerging as candidates for different elective positions in the party’s primaries scheduled for this weekend.

Omisore gave the assurance Tuesday in his office when the National President of Women in Politics Forum (WiPF) Ebere Ifendu, led a delegation of its members on an advocacy visit to solicit his support for women aspirants.

According to Omisore, the advocacy visit by the WiPF shows the high level of commitment and willingness of women to serve the nation in different capacities, assuring that this will guarantee a 95% push on the party to getting their demands for inclusion achieved.

He also stated that the visit of the Wife of the President Aisha Buari in company of Wife of the Vice President Dolapo Osinbajo and the Minister of Women Affairs Dame Pauline Tallen, to the APC headquarters on Monday speaks volume of the call for the inclusion of women at all levels of governance in the country.

‘’When we see the seriousness about the goal of inclusion from women such as your organisation being backed by wives of the President and Vice President with the Minister of Women Affairs as well as the Women Leader of our party it makes it easier to get the demands done.

“There is no way this advocacy visits won’t make significant impact on the party because it will give a 95% push for an assimilation and general reasonability of women in politics as partners,” he said.

‘’’With this, I can assure you that we are carrying women along because we are women friendly, we want equality and women are good to go,’’ he assured.

Earlier, the APC Women leader Betta Edu, expressed worry on the low representation of women in leadership positions at all levels of governance and especially at the National Assembly (NASS) with only nine women compared to the over 400 male representatives.

‘’Right now the APC has just 9 women at the NASS out of over 400 but we are hopeful that at the primaries the number of women should move from nine to 100 because the party is gender friendly and committed to women’s development,’’ she said.

Speaking during the visit, the Gender Adviser at the National Democratic Institute(NDI) Roseline Musa, noted the importance of true democracy to any nation, stressing that for democracy to have meaning both sexes must be well represented in leadership positions to bring in different ideas that will grow the nation

‘’Democracy cannot work with only one of the sexes a democracy that is accountable involves men and women. It is not a competition between men and women but hor democracy to have meaning we should have reasonable representation of both sexes and just like it is said a bird cannot fly with one wing it needs two wings to soar very high,’’ she said.

Meanwhile, the WiPF National President Ebere Ifendu, expressed optimism that the APC primaries will increase the number of women’s candidacy who will eventually win the elective positions come 2023, noting that

Ifendu added that women have galvanized themselves and are hopeful that the 35% affirmative action will come through especially with the court order directing adherence at all levels of governance.

In her remarks, the National President of the Association of Women in Trade and Agriculture (AWITA) Ruth Abu, said the assurance by the National Secretary on women’s candidacy is a huge encouragement to the cause of women in politics, adding that the APC is women-friendly that Nigerian women are proud of.