As the 2023 general election inches closer, no fewer than 10,000 women in the All Progressives Congress (APC) have mobilised support for the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the party.
The women, under the aegis of APC Nigeria Women in Politics, however, urged Tinubu to consider a woman as his running mate in the forthcoming presidential election.
Speaking to journalists at a mobilisation rally held at the Unity Fountain demonstration ground in Abuja on Tuesday, the national convener of the APC women’s support group, Princess Bolanle Kazeem, explained that the women decided to support the former Lagos State governor because of his leadership qualities.
Kazeem further said that the group, with members from across the 36 states of the country, was tired of politicians who promise to provide good governance to the masses during electioneering campaigns but end up deceiving and disappointing them.
She noted that Tinubu had a good track record in the provision of security and infrastructure as well as the management of the state economy for collective prosperity.
She said, “We, the women, have agreed and are ready to give our time and support for our father, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. As APC women, we will garner and produce for him about 40 percent of all the votes cast in the presidential election.
“We believe he can be a good president and take Nigeria to the next level. That is why we are bringing ourselves together to canvass and mobilise for him and to vote for him.
“In the areas of insecurity, economy, and infrastructure, we know Asiwaju has done this in Lagos and they are the smallest things for him to do for the nation.”
Kazeem also said that the APC women’s group expects that Asiwaju will fully implement the 35 per cent affirmative action for women inclusion in politics in Nigeria.
“We are expecting 35 percent of Asiwaju’s cabinet to be made up of women, but if we get more than that, we don’t mind. This is so putting into consideration the input of women in elections. Let the party give us our 35 percent affirmative action. I want to say that the women in the country want a female vice president. Let the party give us the VP position. We are making this demand on Tinubu too, because we know he has sympathy for women,” she said.
She also urged all Nigerians who are yet to get their Permanent Voter Cards to do so immediately in order for them to vote credible leaders to office in the coming elections.
