By Adeyemi Adeleye/Grace Alegba
The Directorate of Professional Women, Independent Campaign Council (ICC) of the APC Presidential Candidate Committee, Lagos State, on Monday urged technocrats to get actively involved in the nation’s electoral process toward choosing credible leaders.
The Director, TinubuShettima/Sanwo-OluHamzat, ICC, Dr Atinuke Owolabi, made the call at a news conference in Lagos.
She urged technocrats to support the APC Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu and re-election of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu because of their track records of empowering professionals.
Owolabi, a professional engineer, called on all professionals, elites and intellectuals “to come out and join in this race; do all we can to win together”.
“We are first and foremost women but then we have an edge. We have been groomed; we have been refined; we have paid our dues in our different fields of endeavor; and thus we are rightly called professional women.
“The task before us is big and important. It behoves on us to make a difference and steer the ship of our nation in the right direction.
“As enormous as it may seem, our task is yet a simple one. All we need do is to participate, getting intentionally involved,” Owolabi said.
According to her, for a very long time the elites in the nation, the professionals, the intellectuals, have not been as involved as they should be when it comes to politics and electioneering process.
She added: “This time around, we will not only make our voices heard, we are going to leverage on our areas of influence to convince people and get them to also participate and get them to be part of this process.
“However, we have gone too far as a nation to start afresh or even make more costly mistakes.
“We not only encourage our people to participate, we will encourage them to choose right because if we lose this opportunity before us, it may take many years to get another. That is if we ever do.”
Stressing the need to support Tinubu, Owolabi, described the APC candidate as a builder.
She said: “He has built great leaders; he has built bridges across the nation; he played a significant role in building Lagos and making Lagos what it is today, the envy of other states.
“We have practically seen what he has done and what he can do.
“Let us all be part of positive history as we bring in our expertise and our experiences to support this great man who has volunteered to give us a renewed hope as a nation.
“Today, as professionals in different fields, we are using this medium to encourage professionals alike, not to just sit on the fence, we encourage you to be a part of this process and together we make Nigeria great.”
Owolabi called on technocrats to also re-elect Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his right hand genius,Dr Obafemi Hamzat, urging the technocrats to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before INEC deadline.
She said, “If the artisans and traders take it upon themselves to get their PVCs, how much more an elite?”
Owolabi said that anyone who failed to vote in the forthcoming elections did not have rights to complain.
She said that the directorate would be the voice for the professionals and would embark on door-to-door campaign to different estates across the three senatorial districts, sensitising people of PVC collection.
“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.
“Let us all vote like our rights depend on it as our vote is our voice as professionals.
“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter to our great nation,” Owolabi said.
The event had in attendance directors in the directorate and the leadership and members of many professional groups. (NAN)
