APC women lament failure to emerge in party primaries

Some female members of the APC in Edo have lamented the non-emergence of women in the recently-conducted primaries of the party in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the women, under the aegis of ‘Aggrieved Women of the APC in Edo’, expressed their grievances at a meeting held in Benin on Friday.

The Coordinator of the meeting, Dr Aisosa Amadasun, said that the gender avowed commitment to stimulate the growth of the party motivated women in the state to contest for various political positions.

She, however, said that the aspirations of the women were truncated by the exorbitant fees for the collection of nomination and expression of interest forms.

Amadasun also explained that about 10 women from the three senatorial districts of Edo South, Central and North were denied tickets by the national leadership of the party.

This, she said, was in spite of their sacrifices and huge resources committed to the project.

According to her, any party that fails to recognise the inputs of women and reward them with positions commensurate to their painstaking efforts to ensure victory, is not only doomed but will suffer defeat.

“We must not fold our hands and allow women to be deprived of their rights and aspirations, as they clamour to break the jinx of male domination in occupying plum party and elective positions.

“We have resolved to stop playing second fiddle to men and being used as campaign tools during electioneering periods,’’ she said.

The coordinator, who was until the recent party congress in the state, the APC State Women Leader, also alleged that the primaries were conducted without a comprehensive party register.

According to her, the last registration exercise for party members was in 2014.

“How did the party hierarchy know those who were registered members of the party by using direct primaries to select candidates?,’’ she lamented.

Amadasun said that before the emergence of the current National Working Committee, waivers were granted to women by the party as a way of encouraging them to get deeply involved in contesting for political positions.

She, therefore, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, to urgently take pragmatic steps to redress the injustice done to women members of the APC.

According to her, proper reconciliation remains sacrosanct in guaranteeing victory for the party in the 2019 general elections.

Meanwhile, Mrs Omololu Eniye, President, National Council for Women’s Societies (NCWS), has warned that her group would mobilise against any party found to be without adequate representation for female candidates.