From Joe Effiong, Uyo
The deputy speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon Felicia Bassey, has urged Nigeria to emulate the United States of America by considering ceding the presidency to women if the eluded development is to be attained.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun in Uyo, Bassey, who is also the Chairperson of Parliamentary Women Association of Nigeria, said the election of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the President of World Trade Organisation and Kamala Harry as vice president of the US, should now encourage men to expose and encourage their wives to take up elective and appointive positions.
“We the women are ready to make a big difference. Try us; try a woman and Nigeria would be better. If the world can accept Ngozi Okonjo-iweala, a Nigerian, a woman, a black as the head of WTO, and we are not talking of Nigeria or even and African organization here, but the whole world organisation,then is it Nigeria that we cannot rule.
“We have intellectuals; we have women with fear of God; we have women with conscience. All these cabal issues are not for women. We are mothers; we know what is good for our children and we know Nigeria if in a woman’s hand, there would peace as a priority.
“We will not be party to anything that would lead to shedding of blood. It wouldn’t be war upon war all the time but peace all through. And where there is peace, there is progress.
“Nigeria should try a woman and all will be well; economically we will manage well; there would be zero tolerance for corruption. Let Nigerians know that we the women are ready. They should try us as state governors or even as vice president and let the men listen because women would not go there for competition rather to bring peace when the heat is on.” Bassey explained.
Though she said zoning of the presidential ticket should not be done based on sentiments alone, the lawmaker Predicted the return of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to power at the federal level in the nearest future, because according to her the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is already exhausted.
“There is tendency for us taking over our power. APC themselves, they are tired; they know. APC has known that their soup is salty and they cannot swallow it. Forget about any name someone answers. Nigeria will speak with their votes and that would end the suffering are in today because both the APC and PDP are crying due to the current bad governance.
“So PDP is coming back and I’m warming up to celebrate,” she enthused.
Continuing , she said; “The issue of zoning of the presidential candidate cannot be decided in a hurry by one person because the pros and cons of any section of the country taking the presidential ticket would have to be objectively weighed based on the realities on ground at the party’s convention.”
She insisted that zoning cannot be done in a vacuum or without a recourse to its merits and demerits to the party and the entire nation.
