The women’s wing of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), says it would take campaigns to villages to advocate for women’s inclusion in politics ahead of the 2023 elections. Hajara Yakubu Wanka, the party’s National Deputy Women Leader disclosed this in an exclusive interview with WikkiTimes.
According to her, the move became imperative to encourage electorates to support women’s political ambition as they do for men. Getting this done would require “some changes,” said, Wanka.
“We want our effort to be pragmatic and result-oriented,” Wanka said, adding that discrimination against women threatened their inclusiveness in politics. This discrimination, she said, is always edged on religious bases, which she interpreted as “pure selfishness” by men infringing on women’s participation in politics.
Wanka further referenced how the wives of Prophet Mohammad (SAW) actively championed the propagation of Islam. She said: “The first woman to believe with the Prophet Mohammad SAW) was Khadija, a female. He also appointed A’isha and said people should seek half of the knowledge from her, she is a woman! In fact, the compilation of the Holy Qur’an was as well done together with the wives of the Prophet.”
Financial constraint (faced by women), according to Wanka, is one of the ways men strengthen women’s exclusion in politics.
“The utmost problem females face in politics is the domination by males and monetization of the system, but we need to change that narrative now,” she said.
Wanka expressed her misgiving about the provisions of the National Gender Policy which postulates that 35% of appointments in the public sector should be apportioned to women.
Her words: “The so-called 35% women allocation they were talking about, is not pragmatic. It is only in books written. Imagine in a conference where about 90% are men, a woman, how will you feel comfortable there?”
In close, she extolled PDP for offering free forms to female aspirants in all positions. This, she said, was aimed to support women’s inclusion in politics, and “we are very well prepared to deliver.”
