"If elected, I will give women 35% of my appointments" – Atiku Abubakar Assures Nigerians

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has assured women in Nigeria of active engagements in his government when elected.

Abubakar disclosed this in Abuja on Friday at the national women conference organised by the leadership of PDP to mobilise women for voter’s education and sensitization.

The former Vice President, while acknowledging the dependable role of women in electioneering process in Nigeria, said he would offer 70 percent of positions in his government to women and youth, adding that he had no fear in entrusting power to women. 

“In my nearly 3 decades in politics, the most consistent voters in every era are women. Even when it was in the era of voting by queuing behind candidates, the women make the queue longer.

“Between the youth and women, you have 70% in my govt, you are not going to be confined to the other room. You have seen my 3 wives here, they are not in the other room. I promise you that you will be at the front of my government and not in the other room”, he told the women.

Earlier in her goodwill message, wife of the presidential candidate, Hajia Jamila Atiku Abubakar, charged Nigerian women to go and mobilise for the success of PDP in the February 16th election, stressing that the Atiku/Obi presidency would kick out poverty and hunger in the country.

She said, “Our action is to kick out poverty, hunger and it is time to ATIKULATE for better Nigeria, it is time to ATIKULATE for job security, it is time to ATIKULATE for food security, time to ATIKULATE for growth and development of this nation”.

She urged the women not to mortgage the future of their children by selling their votes.

On his part, the Director-General of the campaign organisation and President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, urged the women to deliver PDP in their respective localities, saying “women are reliable, committed and dependable” when it comes to elections.

While presenting the presidential candidate to the women, national chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus said, “Atiku is energetic, resourceful and capable”.

Secondus said, “the job of the President is for 24 hours. We want the President that will work round the clock and make Nigeria return to her ranking as the best economy in Africa and among the best in the world”.

He, however, cautioned the government not to intimidate the women by using security agencies to harass supporters whom he said are “on the social media and on ground to monitor the electioneering process”.