The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has promised that the party under his leadership, would grant women the opportunity to contest in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at a women-in-politics event organised by the Aju Morgan Elumelu Foundation in Abuja, on Thursday, Abure stressed that Nigeria’s major problem is poor leadership as he encouraged women to consider taking roles.
“I want to assure you that by 2027, God sparing our lives, under our leadership, we will provide more opportunities for women. We recognise that culturally, economically, and financially, there are several barriers to women’s participation.
“The Labour Party is ready and determined to break those barriers and encourage more women to participate in politics and governance,” he said.
Prior to Abure’s speech, the Chief Executive Officer of AMEF, Aju Elumelu, had in her remarks, stated that women are not given leadership roles in Nigeria calling on President Bola Tinubu and other stakeholders to uphold the 35 per cent affirmative action for women’s participation and empowerment.
“The goal is to have women in leadership—whether elective or appointed—across all sectors, not just in politics. We’re not here to agitate but to appeal for President Bola Tinubu to help us. We don’t have gloves to fight; we’re simply asking for inclusion,” she said.
On the other hand, the Labour Party National Women Leader, Dudu Manuga, urged the Government to pass bills for women to be given special seats in the legislature to ensure adequate representation. The leader also encouraged women to “aggressively” seek the aforementioned position in their states and LGs.
“This is the most coordinated effort I’ve seen to increase women’s participation in the legislature. If we can pass the special seats bill, and combine that with aggressive advocacy and mobilisation, we will make progress.
“Women must meet with their legislators and push for this cause. We need to get everyone on the same page. For now, political parties still have a long way to go in promoting gender inclusion,” Manuga said.
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