President Muhammadu Buhari has directed Ministers of Justice and Women Affairs to work with the Office of the First Lady to draft legislations that would be sent to the National Assembly towards creating a level-playing ground for women in politics.
The Nigerian leader gave the directive on Monday at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Women Presidential Campaign Council held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
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Represented by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, President Buhari said women have “remained the most loyal and most supportive group” throughout his political journey and tenure as president.
“My administration has continued to listen to the strong voices of our women for gender justice, social inclusion and adequate participation in the affairs of our country and in accordance with global, regional and national conventions, agreements and protocols and policies to which Nigeria is a signatory.
“It is in this regard that I hereby direct the Honourable Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, in conjunction with the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs to work closely with the Office of the First Lady in ensuring that important legislations can be brought before the NASS in furtherance of entrenching constitutional change and legal change and creating a level playing field for our women to be carried out assiduously.”
Pointing out the role women have played in elections in Nigeria, President Buhari said that in the 2015 general election, about 3.6 million housewives voted in the presidential election, while in 2019, they accounted for 47%, almost 40 million of the 84million registered voters throughout Nigeria.
“We must continuously court and build significant inroads in this demographic and voting segment.
“The chairman of the INEC recently made a projection that Nigeria’s voting population could be as much as 95million for the 2023 general elections.
“For statisticians in the room, you can imagine what that means in terms of potential votes that women could bring to the table,” he said.
Highlighting the role the First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari played in mobilizing women to vote in previous election, said she has been strong pillar of support and voice for women as well as for the youth.
“Her unwavering commitment to mobilizing women significantly influenced our party’s victory in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
“This great feat could not have been achieved without the support of the women of our party.
“I’d also like to thank the wife of the vice president, the wives of the APC governors and indeed all women leaders at all levels for their tireless effort and support.
“It is also very important that I take some time to paint a very important portrait that gives credibility and important as to why we are gathered here today at the launch of such a critical organ of our great party as we move forward towards the 2023 general elections. “
Ultimate objective
Reminding the APC Women Presidential Campaign Council that the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections would be held in 137 days, President Buhari said the ultimate objective would be to reach all parts of Nigeria to sell the candidates of the party to the electorate.
“As this launch is being hosted in Abuja, we must remember that the real war lies in far flung places away from Abuja.
“The task at hand lies in the over 8000 wards and 774 local governments across the country, where party faithful would have to make a case before fellow citizens on our party’s candidates by articulating our vision and the programme for the county.
“The campaign should therefore resist the temptation for it to be turned into an Abuja-centric activity but establish the connection between the voting public our presidential candidate and other candidates for offices through Nigeria. That should be the ultimate objective.”
Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, who is the Chairperson of the APC Women Presidential Campaign Council, called on the APC leadership to come out with a document that spells out its policies for Nigerian women.
Mrs. Buhari pointed out that there has been “a progressive decline in the involvement and participation of women in elective and appointive position at all the three tiers of government.”
She added “our clamour and cries over the years have remained unattended to, especially at the level of the legislative arms of government.”
The APC presidential candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu, had in his address, said he was excited to have the support of the party’s women.
He called on members of the party to ensure that the APC is returned to power at the 2023 general election.
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