Ahead of February general elections in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC) women presidential campaign initiative has brought together all the female leaders of the party in Kaduna State to a sensitisation workshop, aimed at ensuring a violent free election and also deliver the candidacy of General Muhammadu Buhari, as the next President of Nigeria.
The women also kicked against any plan to postpone the 2015 elections, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stick to the election timetable.
Addressing the public in Kaduna on Thursday, the convener of the meeting and wife of the APC Presidential Candidate, Mrs Aishatu Muhammadu Buhari, acknowledged the various roles of the women and other support groups towards the emergence of an APC government, thereby urging them to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) to enable them vote for the party during election.
Mrs Buhari, who was represented by the North West Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Initiative, Mrs Binta Muazu, urged the women leaders to sensitise thousands of their colleagues especially at the rural areas to get their Permanent Voters Card (PVC), master the APC logo and secure their votes on election day. While emphasising the importance of women in nation building and peaceful co-existence, the wife of the former Head of State told the women not to sell their PVCs to other political parties as it was the only weapon they would use to drive the PDP out of government.
The journey to the 2015 general elections is gathering momentum gradually. Few days to the presidential election, political parties are putting finishing touches on their wining strategies. It is against this background that this APC women leaders gathered in Kaduna to deliberate on how best they can contribute to the success of the party at the polls.
According to the organisers, the aim of the workshop is to sensitise the women on their role as mothers and agents of change in the forthcoming general elections. Some of the expected roles include getting their PVCs, understanding the party’s logo and how they can cast their votes correctly.
Mrs Buhari further urged the women and their children to shun violence before, during and after the elections.
The APC Women Leader and other speakers at the occasion told the women to vote for General Buhari to ensure that their lives and future were secured. They noted that women, being one of the most vulnerable in the society, must ensure the defeat of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration in order to end what they termed 16 years of maladministration.
According to the organisers, the workshop will take place simultaneously across the 36 states of the federation.
