…says, no Ramadan, Easter palliatives to distribute to grassroots members
By Joy Odor
The All Progressives Congress (APC) women leaders from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has on Wednesday complained to the National Chairman of the Party, Abdullahi Ganduje of being dumped and not carried along in all the affairs pertaining women after President Bola Tinubu was elected.
The women leaders who visited Ganduje in his office in Abuja, led by Patricia Yakubu from Adamawa lamented that since 2023 election, they only got one wrapper and 2 bag of rice from the National Secretariat of the party.
She maintained that, after the general election, nothing was given to them during Easter, the Ramadan fasting period and Sallah 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.
“We are closer to the Party Women at the grassroots, the largest voting bloc in the secular world, our demography should not be neglected”she said.
Mrs Patricia bemoaned that the Women Leaders sacrificed so much towards the victory of the great party during the 2023 elections and saddened to be treated like this after giving so much to the party, even at great personal risks.
She expressed dismay that the women have not been compensated for all their pains and sacrifices but only neglected.
“Here are a few of the situations that our women had to go through.
“The women slept on the grass in open spaces, took great risks at the 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 three days on the election day.
“Then one of us was involved in a ghastly motor accident during the campaigns, because they did not want to hear of APC in her community and she is still in and out of the hospital.
“Many of us got their cars damaged and some completely lost their personal cars during the campaigns and today, they are not mobile.
“We will also want to respectfully draw the attention of His Excellency, our Father, the advocate of women empowerment to the fact that most of the Federal Government programs that has to do with women sounds like news to us.
“We want to plead with you to use your good offices and discuss with the ministers and heads of agencies to involve our women in their programmes, so as to boost confidence of our women and to encourage participation and support towards strengthening the party, especially in states where we don’t have APC Governors” she stressed.
