Mrs Pauline Tallen, Minister of Women Affairs has tasked the All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure gender equality in its affairs as it work towards reviewing its Constitution ahead of 2023.
Tallen gave the task while speaking with newsmen at the party’s National Secretariat on Wednesday in Abuja.
She said that women were the most marginalised in the country and in the party.
The minister who was accompanied by a women delegation including female lawmakers, spoke after submitting a memoranda to the party’s Constitution Review Committee.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the memoranda was received by the Chairman of the APC Constitution Review Committee, Prof. Tahir Mamman.
“We demand for affirmative action, you will agree with me that women toil and give the highest votes at all elections.
“The absence of women in the party’s structure is what bothers women, we are here to demand for constitution amendment.
“We are aware that last week, the party inaugurated a committee for the amendment of its constitution, immediately we heard about this, we swung into action,” she said.
Tallen said marginalisation of women was unacceptable for national development, adding that more women were needed in the party’s structure and for all elections.
“We are demanding that no gender, women or men should occupy more than 60 per cent as against the other: we are demanding for gender equality.
“We are demanding for full participation and representation of women in the party’s structure and all elective seats in our dear country.
“We want amendment of the party’s constitution to ensure more women participation in its affairs, we demand fairness and justice,” she stressed.
Speaking on the possibility of having a female president in the country, the minister said Nigeria could have a female president if Liberia and Malawi had female presidents.
She added that her desire was for Nigeria to be the lead country in female affirmative action in Africa to ensure gender equality in the country.
According to her, all that is needed is encouragement especially from men and the dream of having a female president in Nigeria will become a reality.
She decried delegate elections especially during party primaries, saying it does not reflect the will of the people.
The minister added that direct primaries was the way to go because it represented the people’s will.
The chairman APC constitution review committee while receiving the memoranda , however, said the party was the most woman friendly party in the country.
NAN reports that the APC on March 2, inaugurated an eight-man Constitutional Review Committee.
Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, National Secretary of the APC Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee while inaugurating the committee, said it was expected to seek inputs from critical stakeholders, advocacy groups and party members in the course of the assignment.
The committee which had Mamman as chairman, also included Prof. Dakas Dakas, Mr Akinremi Olaide, Dr Ego Ezuma, Mr Mohammed Kumaila, Mr Shuaibu Aruwa and Mr Ekokoi Solomon as members.(NAN)
