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Presidential candidates attend VOW 2022 Conference, unveil agenda for women
Some presidential candidates in the 2023 general election on Tuesday attended the Voice of Women (VOW) 2022 Conference and Awards organised by Women Radio 91.7FM supported by MacArthur Foundation in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said women’s matters would be his priority if elected.
Tinubu, who was represented by his running mate, Kashim Shettima, said the ultimate assessment of any society is the way women are treated.
In his words, “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 though the 2023 poll is not a form of Olympic game, one’s track record is an important factor in the election.
Shettima added that Tinubu was the first governor to appoint a woman as deputy governor in the country.
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 when he was Borno governor, several 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 the Asiwaju government,” he said.
He said the government would be committed to social inclusion and political empowerment of women.
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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.
In his remarks, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, said if any candidate comes to them with promises, “let us ask him what has he done before.”
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.
“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 150 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.
Other presidential candidates who spoke at the event include Hamza Al-Mustapha of the Action Alliance (AA); Ado-Ibrahim Abdulmalik of Young Progressives Party; Dumebi Kachikwu of African Democratic Congress and Adebayo Adewole of Social Democratic Party.
However, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was conspicuously absent at the occasion and was not represented either.
Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, the Executive Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), said the women were ready to hold all the presidential candidates accountable on their promises.
