By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Muhammadu, has warned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) not to use the free nomination forms it provided for women members to sideline them.
She said this while speaking at the Presidential Villa where she hosted women aspirants under the ruling party on Saturday, May 14, 2022.
The meeting was facilitated by the Office of the Women Leader of the ruling party with support from the International Republican Institute (IRI) to unite women, educate, enlighten and equip them to improve their chances of victory at the 2023 forthcoming elections.
The First Lady made the statement while reacting to speculation that female aspirants are being pressured by party leaders to step down for their male counterparts in positions being contested in the upcoming 2023 elections.
Mrs Buhari, while appreciating the party for the consideration of women reflected in the free forms and expressing hope that women will not be relegated to the background in the party, however said she doesn’t believe in free gifts.
She noted that while the free forms enabled more women to pursue their aspiration, there is no further assurance of support for them to emerge victorious at the polls.
“I stand before you today as a mother, as a leader, as a sister, believing that today’s summit will make a difference in our lives as women and mothers of the nation,” she said.
Mrs Buhari continued: “To the chairman of our party, governors and party executives, I commend your efforts in supporting women over the years. However, I would like to draw your attention that it is now time to believe in women more and show more solidarity with them.
“Distinguished guests, it is important to mention the efforts made by our great party towards promoting women’s participation in politics. I appreciate and commend the recent party’s gesture in offering free nomination forms to female aspirants. Honourable Emma Eneukwu representing the chairman of our great party, I don’t want the party to use the free forms as a means of sidelining women at the end of the day.
“I don’t believe in free gifts. But with Dr Beta there as our leader, I believe the APC will not relegate women to the backseat.”
Addressing the female aspirants, she stated: “I believe that a huge task lies ahead of us. We must solidify our unity of purpose and work hard toward creating an impactful space within the political arena.
“Your decision to contest gives a lot of inspiration to women and I would like to reaffirm my support to all the women contestants.”
Going further, the First Lady noted that countries that successfully tackled the COVID-19 pandemic were led by women, an affirmation that women run the world.
She urged the women to shun violence, jealousy and hatred for one another, to believe and project the party ideals, and seek the development of their various communities.
Earlier, the wife of the Vice President, Dolapo Osinbajo, expressed confidence that the women are coming and won’t be stopped from getting a space at the table.
She said: “There’s a question I’ve been asking and I’m still waiting for someone to give me a satisfactory answer. When you go to the hospital to have a child, whether the child is a boy or girl, we pay the same hospital fees. Is there anybody here that has paid higher school fees for boys and for girls? Is there anybody that paid a bus fare, airplane tickets, train fair? Did you pay more or less because you’re a woman or a man? Do we pay the same thing? Get ready, get ready, because it’s time for us to take our seats at the table.
“And as the representative of the national chairman said, we must follow through. You must go all the way to victory. Because when you sit at the table, you’re there to fight to ensure that it is well with the girls or the women. You’re there to fight for your mothers, your grandmothers, your daughters, your sisters, your aunties, and your nieces, you’re also there to fight for your fathers and your sons and your brothers.
“You’re there to fight to make sure that the women are given their place at the table. You’re there to fight to ensure that we no longer see gender-based violence, you’re there to fight to make sure the girls get into school, you’re there to fight to make sure when it’s time for jobs because you are there we will be given jobs, you’re there to fight to make sure when decisions are being made concerning women. Women have the inputs.“
Mrs Osinbajo called for unity among the women, noting that like the broom image of the party, they will only succeed when they are bound together in the struggle.
In his comments, the representative of the Chairman of the APC, the Deputy National Chairman (South) of APC, Chief Emma Eneukwu, urged the women to work hard to achieve results as the party has done its part by giving them free forms to encourage them.
He said the party decided to give women prominence this time around because of their numbers and what they can bring to the table.
He said, “To whom much is given more is expected. Leadership is important. The National Woman leader spoke so well, and you gave her a standing ovation. But it is beyond that. It is beyond speaking well. I’m a Christian and the Bible says that faith without works is dead. If you can match this your ovation with action…In politics, nobody rewards laziness. Nobody rewards inefficiency. You must stand up to be counted. If because you are women, and you are expecting that elections will be awarded to you, it doesn’t happen in this country anyway. This is democracy.
“What we are trying to do in APC is to encourage women to use their numbers, just like the national woman leader has encouraged if you use your numbers, I’m sure you don’t need to beg anybody. The men will come and negotiate with your at the table because you have the Joker.”
In her opening remarks, National Woman Leader, Dr. Betta Edu, revealed that over 700 women are running for various positions across the country on the platform of the ruling party.
She stated: “As the representative of the national chairman said, we must follow through. You must go all the way to victory. Because when you sit at the table, you’re there to fight to ensure that it is well with the girls or the women. You’re there to fight for your mothers, your grandmothers, your daughters, your sisters, your aunties, and your nieces, you’re also there to fight for your fathers and your sons and your brothers.
“You’re there to fight to make sure that the women are given their place at the table. You’re there to fight to ensure that we no longer see gender-based violence, you’re there to fight to make sure the girls get into school, you’re there to fight to make sure when it’s time for jobs because you are there we will be given jobs, you’re there to fight to make sure when decisions are being made concerning women. Women have the inputs.“