APC women decry alleged neglect by party

By Jude Opara, Abuja

The forum of states women leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday cried out to the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje over their alleged neglect and abandonment by the party after their hard work that helped the party to win the 2923 general election.
President of the forum, Mrs. Patricia Yakubu from Adamawa state while speaking during a solidarity/ courtesy visit to the chairman at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja said that their case has become a ‘use and dump’ issue because the party has turned away from them despite their dedication and commitment to the party’s success.
Yakubu further lamented that after the primaries that produced President Bola Tinubu as the party’s flagbearer where most of them even slept on bare floor at the Eagle Square, one of them detained by the police, some abused and harassed, yet they worked hard and committed to the party during the last general election, still the party’s leadership abandoned and relegated them to the background after the victory.
“Your Excellency, the State women leaders will want to advocate that we should be carried along in all the affairs pertaining women in the states, we are closer to the Party women at the grassroots, the largest voting bloc in the secular world of our demography should not be neglected.
“Since after the elections, Your Excellency may note that, only 1 bag of rice and 1 paper wrapper was given to the States women leaders from the National Secretariat of the party. Nothing was given to us during Easter, the Ramadan fasting period and Salah Festivities. Even the Palliatives that were distributed were not given to the women leaders for onward distribution to the grassroots, we party women waited and waited and waited to no avail very sad.
“Your Excellency respectfully, we wish to notify you that the Women Leaders sacrificed so much towards the victory of our great party during the 2023 elections. Here are a few of the situations that our women had to go through;
“The women slept on the grass in open spaces took a great risks at Women Development Center, Abuja and almost in every state during Electioneering Period to ensure victory. The house of one of us was demolished on the election day by the Opposition party in her state to distract her from canvassing votes for the party. The son of one of us was kidnapped a day to the presidential election. Another woman was detained in the police station for 3 days on the election day.