Osinbajo women supporters storm Abuja, demand actualisation of VP’s Presidency

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Women cutting across the various sections of the country yesterday in their numbers stormed the International Conference Centre in Abuja, venue of the All Progressive Congress (APC) National Women’s Conference, demanding that the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, be supported to emerge the President of Nigeria in 2023.

With an emphatic presence, the women’s coalition that includes market women, farmers, traders, artisans and professionals chorused demand for Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo to become the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate in 2023, they urged the party’s caretaker committee to strictly ensure that delegates to its national convention are not hijacked by those who have participated in looting state or federal resources in the past.

Leader of the Steering Committee of Women’s Coalition for Osinbajo, Hajia Rabi Dauda, who spoke with reporters in front of the InternationalConference Center, Abuja emphasized that women’s assessment of the current lineup of presidential aspirants across various political parties indicates that Osinbajo is the best option for Nigerian women.

“We are rooting for Osinbajo, not because there are no other aspirants but because he is the most qualified and the one with the most easily predictable disposition towards development issues that are of utmost concern to women.

“Nigerian women trust Osinbajo more than any other presidential aspirant and he already has an idea of what the specific challenges of governance in present times really mean.

“We believe that Osinbajo can consolidate upon whatever good foundation that Baba Buhari has laid and Nigerian women are much more optimistic about prospects for a better future under an Osinbajo presidency.

“At this APC National Women’s Conference and beyond here, we are urging all Nigerian women to actively  mobilize support for Osinbajo in the interest of generations yet unborn because 2023 elections will leave a very enduring impact on the fate of Nigeria,” she said.

Speaking in a similar vein, Madam Scholastica Dominic who led a group of market women to join the women’s coalition for a peaceful rally at the International Conference Center stated that it was a voluntary demonstration of support.

“He is healthy, youth-friendly and women-friendly and he represents positive change.

“Besides, Osinbajo has demonstrated keen disposition towards seeing things from the perspective of market women and he can make things easy for us; indeed, we believe that he has great capacity to move Nigeria forward,” said Madam Dominic.

Also, Evangelist Ochoja who is a member of the inter-faith group within the women’s coalition expressed women’s confidence in Osinbajo’s preparedness to justify the nation’s collective hopes, adding that many people like her who cannot be swayed with money prefer to back Osinbajo in view of demonstrated capacity to serve with empathy.