President Muhammadu Buhari has declared there is no alternative to the All Progressives Congress (APC) victory in the 2023 presidential election.
He made the declaration yesterday at the inauguration ceremony of the APC women’s presidential campaign committee at the Presidential Villa.
According to him, in the 2015 general election, about 3.6 million housewives voted in the presidential election. He said this figure ranked third next to about 4.4 million students in the 2019 general election.
The president who was represented by his chief of staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari said women accounted for 47 percent, almost 40 million of the 84 million registered voters throughout the nation.
He said, “We must continuously co-opt and make significant inroad into this demographic and voting segments.
“As this launch is being hosted in Abuja, we must remember that the real war lies in far flung places away from Abuja. The task ahead lies in over 8000 wards and 774 local governments across the country, where party faithful will have to make a case before fellow citizens on our party’s candidate articulating the vision and the programme for the country.
“The campaign, therefore, should recede the temptation for it to be turned into an Abuja centric activity but establish the connection between the voting public and our presidential candidate, and for other candidates for offices throughout Nigeria, that should be the ultimate objective.
“Throughout my political journey and my tenure as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, women have remained the most loyal and supportive group in my mission for a better Nigeria despite the challenges.
“They should extend this same support to our presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima.
“As we prepare for the 2023 general elections, my administration has continued to listen to the strong voices of our women for gender justice, social inclusion, and adequate participation in the affairs of their country and in accordance with global, regional, and national conventions, agreements, protocols, and policies to which Nigeria is a signatory.”
The president further said it is in this regard that he directed the Attorney General and Minister of Justice in conjunction with Minister of Women Affairs to work closely with the Office of the First Lady in ensuring that important legislations that can be brought before the National Assembly in furtherance of entrenching constitutional change and creating a level playing field for our women to be carried out assiduously.
He said considering the strategic role women have played in APC victories, they are therefore called upon to begin organising and mobilising vigorously the electorate at all levels for APC victory at the 2023 polls through the committee in an inclusive and cooperative manner.
He said the inauguration of APC Women Presidential Campaign Committee is the most crucial component of the 2023 campaign and called on all members of the committee to take up this great responsibility as a testament of their selfless service to the APC.
“I strongly believe that this committee will take the APC to greater heights by developing and implementing a collective and inclusive party’s strategy to ensure APC victory in the 2023 election because there is no alternative to our victory,” he added.
The first lady, Aisha Buhari, was last week announced as the grand patron of the women’s wing of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Team.
The wife of the presidential candidate, Oluremi Tinubu, a three-term senator representing Lagos Central and former First Lady of Lagos State, and that of the vice-presidential candidate, former First Lady of Borno State, Nana Shettima, will serve as chairman and co-chairman respectively.
