Politics

2023: Tinubu, Obi, Others Unveil Agenda For Nigerian Women, Atiku Absent

Published

2 years ago

October 25, 2022

Editor

The presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has said if any candidate comes to them with promises, “let us ask him what has he done before.”

Obi spoke on Tuesday at the Voice of Women (VOW) 2022 Conference and Awards organised by Women Radio 91.7FM supported by MacArthur Foundation in Abuja.

He said when he was Anambra governor, women’s issue was given priority.

He said his chief of staff, commissioner for finance, and commissioner of local government affairs, among others, were women.

“And I can say that they were far more productive than men.

“For me, women are critical if we want to get Nigeria moves forward.

“We have to take the 50 per cent of the population we are neglecting today serious.

“I will be committed and I said this is my past and you can go and check.

“It is not about I will fight corruption but check the last place I left.

“The last place I left, I left N150 million dollars in the coffers,” he said.

He said like Bangladesh, women and youth should be given a percentage in all electoral positions which must be spelt out in the law.

Obi said as the country prepares for the next election, Nigerians must go beyond the consideration of yesterday and chart a new way forward.

“Don’t vote for me because I am from the South East, or I am an Igbo man, etc.

“It should be based on the character of the person; his competence and commitment to change things,” he said.

Also speaking, Sen. Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), said women’s matters will be prioritised if elected the president in the 2023 general election

Tinubu, who was represented by the APC vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, said “the ultimate assessment of any society is the way you treat women.”

According to him, if you educate a man, you educate an individual but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.

“It is easy to talk, but can we walk the talk. This is a big question to all,” he said.

Shettima said though 2023 poll is not a form of Olympic game, one’s track record is an important factor in the election.

“Asiwaju was the first governor to appoint a woman as deputy governor in the country,” he said.

Besides, he said Tinubu supported a lot of women to be lawmakers both at the state and national levels, including appointing them into key offices.

Shettima also said that when he was Borno governor, a number of women were appointed as commissioners.

“Asiwaju government will be a government that will be friendly to our women.

“Equity and fairness to women will be a top priority of Asiwaju government,” he said.

He said the government would be committed to social inclusion and political empowerment of women.

Shettima, who assured that education for women would be a priority, said domestic violence against women and all forms of abuse would be fought by the government.

“Asiwaju is competent and he has a track record of excellence and achievement,” he said.

The presidential candidate of Action Alliance (AA), retired Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha, said to be a president is not about qualifications but the knowledge and skill one possesses.

“We want our women to be reformed,” he said

He said a new bill to ensure more women’s participation in governance should be passed into law.

He said he would enter a legal agreement with women to be committed to their course.

“In Action Alliance, we will enter into a legal agreement and everything we say, we will do.

“We have been deceived for years and there is no time for that anymore.

“Let every candidate you are going to vote for tell you how is he going to ensure this,” he said

Al-Mustapha said that if a candidate is elected as president and fails to fulfil the promises he made, this would afford Nigerians to sue him and his government.

Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, the Executive Director, of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), said the women were ready to hold all the presidential candidates accountable for their promises.

“We need your full attention about what Nigerian women want.

“We are tired of things heard and not seen. It becomes very important to re-strategise.

“We will not take from any government who will not respect women. We are standing here today to tell you what Nigerians women want,” she said.

Akiyode-Afolabi, however, lamented over the low rate of women vying for political offices across the states in the forthcoming general elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other presidential candidates at the event include Ado-Ibrahim Abdulmalik of Young Progressives Party; Dumebi Kachikwu of African Democratic Congress and Adebayo Adewole of the Social Democratic Party.

NAN reports that the 6th edition of the VOW Conference hosted presidential candidates to speak on their plans and commitments to Nigerian women.

However, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was conspicuously absent at the occasion and was not represented either
VANGUARD/NAN

Politics

JUST IN: Ex-PDP Deputy National Chair, Oyedokun Defects To APC

Published

13 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, has resigned his membership of the party and announced defection to the All Progressives Congress.

Oyedokun, a notable personality within the political circle in Osun State and beyond, said he decided to dump the PDP after consultation with his loyalists.

He said he would be joining APC, where his experience, efforts, and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.

His resignation letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP through the ward, local government and state chairmen of the party obtained late Thursday further read, “As a functional member and leader of PDP (Ward 13, Jagun/ Osi-Bale Ode, Odo-Otin South Local Government, Osun State,) whose high electoral productivity and value have been credibly and positively acknowledged in my ward, across the local council, state and country-wide for the enhancement of the fortune of the PDP, I have the honour (though with pain) in announcing the renunciation of my membership of the party on principle, having observed that the ideals of we, founding members, had been sorely contaminated.

“In taking this step which is not even without due consultation with my teaming loyalists in the PDP, I have consequently decided to shift my allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where I believe my experience, efforts and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.”

Oyedokun’s defection to the APC is coming at the time the aspirant he supported during the 2022 Osun governorship primary of PDP, Mr Dotun Babayemi is also moving to the national ruling party.

Osun APC said on Wednesday that Babayemi and his supporters would be dumping PDP and joining the party at a rally scheduled to be held in Osogbo on Friday.
PUNCH

Politics

Poll: APC Has No Sellable Candidate, Nothing To Campaign On – Edo Govt

Published

4 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

The Edo State Government claimed on Monday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has no credible candidate for the September 21 governorship election.

This was an assertion made by the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, at a press conference in Benin City.

Nehikhare also alleged that the party is using lies and propaganda as its campaign strategy.

According to him: “The only APC strategy for the governorship election is to resort to lies and propaganda. When a party takes lies and propaganda as an election strategy, it means it has nothing to offer the people. The party lacks people with character, capacity, and intellect.”

The commissioner who took journalists through a screened shot WhatsApp chat said: “What we have here is the official APC WhatsApp platform, their own people screenshot their discussion. One of them who has a conscience asks, is this the only thing we have?”

Nehikhare, who said APC is ashamed to campaign for its candidate, noted that, as of today, nobody had heard of what the party has for the state.

“All we heard is how they are going to help their paymaster, lies and propaganda that will not help the state,” he added.

He opined that lies and propaganda are not strategies the opposition party, like APC, can use to win the September 21 governorship election.

The commissioner, who warned against misinformation and fake news ahead of the governorship election, urged media practitioners to be neutral in matters concerning lies and propaganda.

He, however, noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration has a lot of achievements to market and sell its candidate for the election.

Politics

Defection: Edo Govt, Ex-PDP BoT Member, Idahosa In Verbal War

Published

4 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

Edo State government and a former member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Charles Idahosa, on Monday traded words over the latter defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Recall that Idahosa resigned
formally resigned who had last month resigned from PDP, rejoined the APC on Monday in Benin City.

Speaking during his formal presentation to the APC in Benin City, he noted that he left the party four years ago due to internal crisis.

Idahosa added that he dumped the PDP because of what he described as the “damning deeds of the Obaseki-led administration in the last four years”.

He took a swipe at Obaseki for saying that PDP would win the forthcoming September governorship election with 80 per cent of votes.

“I thank God, four years later we all are wiser now. Like the Secretary said, I was a founding member of ACD, ACN and APC. The damage we did four years ago, the APC never remained the same.

“But I am glad we are back to the family. I was nominated to the Board of the Railway when I was in the APC. When I moved to the PDP, I wrote to resign my membership but it was rejected and showed my wide acceptance.

“At 71, I am not here to contest position with anybody, I am here to work. I want to urge APC to keep their eyes on the ball. It is not over until it is over.”

While lambasting Governor Obaseki for his comment that those leaving PDP have been given money, he noted that his greatest regret was not allowing the governor to resign after his first four years in office.

“When he came to beg me like a weather beaten chicken, how much did he give to me? Anytime he goes religious gathering he would say those leaving PDP have been given money.

“He came to me three times in my house to say he wants to resign, that he was tired of being governor but I appealed to him, telling him it was not about him but Benin interest.”

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare alleged that Idahosa was never a PDP member.

Nehikhare noted that Idahosa was also never a BOT member of the party, because the party in the state rejected his nomination.

He alleged that it was as a result of the rejection that he found his way back to APC.

“I heard that he claimed to be a member of BOT of PDP but I want to challenge him to tell us when he was sworn in as a member of PDP BOT. He was not a fit and proper person. Even though he was nominated he was shunned by the party.

“It was this that drove him back to APC which he never left in the first place. He was holding on to the board appointment which was offered him while in APC prior to 2020 governorship election.

“He has reached the end of his political career. He has nothing to offer any political party or any group he joins because he believes in bread and butter politics,” Nehikhare said.