From Fred Itua, Abuja
Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC – Lagos Central ), wife of APC presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said the Tinubu-Kashim Shettima ticket offers the best hope of representation and empowerment for Nigerian women.
This was contained in a speech delivered at the grassroots women election dialogue organised by the Asiwaju Women Cooperative Society (AWCS) in Abuja on Monday.
In the speech which was delivered on her behalf by Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, Sen Tinubu stated that elections cannot be won without the support of women.
She further assured the women of the commitment of Tinubu and his running mate, Shettima, to uplifting and empowering 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 with her political career, Oluremi said her husband is not only a progressive politician, but also progressive at the home front
“Asiwaju has also worked with and mentored scores of women, both 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,” she said.
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The senator further highlighted his contributions to empowering women, saying that in line with Asiwaju’s vision, Lagos has set a standard 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 skill acquisition centres to economic empowerment programmes targeted at different subgroups of the female population, including our market women, Asiwaju has demonstrated his commitment to uplifting women both economically and in the political space,” she added.
She also lauded the gender sensitive credentials of former Borno State governor and APC vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima.
“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,” she noted.
Sen Tinubu was represented at the event by a delegation of women politicians including Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, Hon. Olubunmi Ogunola, Hon. Adewunmi Onanuga, Zainab Gamawa and Rinsola Abiola.