Akoko North By-election: Give Women a Chance, Ondo Women Write Tinubu, APC Nat Working Committee, Others
The women wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, has called on the President of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and the national working committee of APC to give the party’s ticket to the womenfolk in the forthcoming Akoko North East/ West Federal Constituency’s by-election election in Ondo State.
The women made the call on Tuesday in an open letter written to President Tinubu, his wife, and the National Working Committee on the party and published in the Nation Newspaper on Tuesday and duly signed by the various rungs of the party’s women executives in the state.
The seat of Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency became vacant at the House of Representatives as a result of the appointment of the former occupier, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, as Minister of Interior and his subsequent resignation from the position.
The letter reads, in part: “The women of the Ondo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would like to draw the attention of the national leadership of our party to the perpetual injustice against the female population of the party in Ondo State, with respect to elective positions.
“Representation at the national assembly has virtually become the exclusive preserve of the menfolk as only one woman has represented Ondo State at the National Assembly since the nation’s fourth return to democratic governance in 1999; the percentage of female representation from Ondo State at either the Senate or House of Representatives has been nearly a naught.”
According to the women, the female population in Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has been visibly active and played critical roles in party politics and electioneering transactions that culminated in the sweeping success the party recorded during the last parliamentary elections in the state, but has virtually nothing to show for their hardwork and dedication to the party.
In their words: “In spite of the steady, significant and strategic interventions of the women in favour of the party in Ondo State, nothing has been done to recognise our place with respect to fair share of representation at the national assembly; hence women’s interest and yearning have since been pushed to the background. The seemingly permanent lack of fairness to women in Ondo State, apart from being morally wrong, is clearly against the spirit and letters of the constitution of the All Progressives Congress with respect to the 35% women inclusiveness.
“There is no woman among the present twelve (12) Ondo State representatives at the national assembly- both Senate and House of Representatives. This situation of sore injustice is muchly demoralising for the womenfolk of the Ondo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress as it portrays the women as undeserving; whereas, we have in our fold competent women with requisite intellectual wherewithal to represent us at the National Assembly.”
