The wife of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has said the joint ticket of her husband, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with Senator Kashim Shettima offers the best hope of quality representation and empowerment for Nigerian women.
Senator Tinubu spoke at a grassroots women’s election dialogue organised by the Asiwaju Women Cooperative Society (AWCS) yesterday in Abuja.
Represented by the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Mrs. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, Senator Tinubu said the Tinubu/Shetimma joint ticket recognised the role of women in the electioneering process, adding that victory at any election cannot be actualised without the support of women.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, have a verifiable track record of uplifting, supporting and empowering women, and working with them as highly valued partners in our political, developmental and democratic journey,” she said.
Citing an example from her political career, the senator representing Lagos Central said her husband is not only a progressive politician but also a progressive family man.
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“Asiwaju has also worked with and mentored scores of women, young and elderly, who once served or are currently serving in different roles in the public service. I, his wife, am also currently serving my third term in the Senate.
“So, I believe we can all agree that Asiwaju is a man who is not only progressive in his politics but also progressive in his home.”
Highlighting her husband’s contributions to empowering women, Senator Tinubu said in line with Asiwaju’s vision, Lagos has set a standard in regarding women’s political mainstreaming and legal protection in the country.
“Asiwaju, as governor, invested heavily in the economic empowerment of women. Furthermore, in abiding by the state’s developmental blueprint, Lagos continues to set the standard for not only women’s economic empowerment but also gender mainstreaming in governance and legal protection for women.
“From skills acquisition centres to economic empowerment programmes targeted at different subgroups of the female population, including market women, Asiwaju has demonstrated his commitment to uplifting women both economically and in the political space,” Mrs. Tinubu said.
She lauded the gender-sensitive credentials of former Borno State governor and APC vice presidential candidate, saying: “In a similar vein, his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, set a record in Northern Nigeria with the appointment of four female commissioners during his tenure as governor, a feat hitherto unmatched. His administration also invested in several empowerment programmes targeted at women, as women’s economic empowerment became particularly crucial during the Boko Haram scourge.”