2027: Labour Party to provide more opportunities for women in politics– Abure
By Tom Okpe
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP, Barr Julius Abure has stated the Party will give more opportunities for women participation and opportunities in the elections.
Abure while speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the Aju Morgan Elumelu Foundation, AMEF, noted that leadership is a major challenge, bedeviling the country hence women must collaborate to take over leadership positions in the country.
According to Abure, the LP has taken the lead in appointing women in political leadership positions, pointing that the Party has deliberately created opportunities for women to participate, not just in affairs of the Party, but have also given them opportunity to run for offices, hence the 2027 elections will not be different.
He said: “I want to assure you that by 2027, God sparing our lives under our leadership. We will provide more opportunities for women. We appreciate the fact that culturally, economically, financially, there are several inhibitions against women’s participation.
“I want to assure you that the Party is ready and determined to break those challenges that will encourage women to participate,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer, AMEF, Ambassador Aju Elumelu on her part lamented low representation of women in leadership positions, appealing to President Tinubu and other stakeholders in the polity to ensure 35% women’s representation and empowerment in leadership positions.
“The goal here is to have women in leadership, elective, appointed positions not just in politics but across board.
“We are not here to get agitated but, asking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to help us. We don’t have gloves to fight. We are just asking you to think about us, everyone needs to be involved because we only have a measly percentage.”
National Women Leader of the Party, Dudu Manuga stressed that space for women in leadership, governance and politics has been shrinking over the years, but maintained that Bills for special seats for women should be passed into law to enable women’s involvement in leadership positions.
“I have never seen this kind of effort coming together to see that we have more women in the legislature. So I think if we can have that Bill passed and we will continue with the aggressive advocacy and mobilization and get it right this time around,” she said.
Manuga however called for collaboration of women at all levels in government to ensure the passage of the Bill adding, “What we now need to do is, encourage women in every State to meet their legislators and discuss with them.
“Let us lobby, so that we get everybody on the same page and have it passed, but for now the political Parties have a long way to go.”
