The National Women Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Kema Chikwe,
yesterday said party would not have lost the last presidential election to President Muhammadu
Buhari if its women wing had a significant role to play before and during the election.
She added that what would happen to the PDP in the future largely “depends on the women because
they are more committed, more determined, more understanding, more patient and more futuristic in
politics.
Chikwe made the remark at the PDP South-west zonal town hall meeting she addressed in Lagos
yesterday, urging women to occupy other positions different from the position of women leaders in
political parties in the country.
Among others, the town hall meeting was attended by the PDP South-west Zonal Secretary, Chief
Adepegba Otemolu; former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Chairman, Ikeja Branch, Mr. Tony
Ubani and former Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola
At the town hall meeting, Chikwe said the PDP “is now the main opposition party. What happens to
the party in future depends on the women because they are resilient, genuine, more committed, more
caring, more principled, more determined, more understanding, more patient, more loving and more
futuristic in politics.”
She lamented that the proportion of women who won elections at all levels and those who were given
political appointments certainly understated the contribution women made in the entire political
process.
She thus charged PDP women to promote internal democracy in order to build political institutions
from the ward to the national level and protect their membership, urging women “to take their own
destiny into their own hands and plan for the future.
“Always remember that in politics, no one needs to turn the other cheek to an opponent for a second
slap. As women, we must promote peace but fight for justice and stand united. We need to be more
assertive in our party,” she said.
In a paper titled Role of Women in Nation- Building and Why Women Must Participate in Politics,
Otemolu recalled that the PDP constitution was clear on the 35 percent affirmation for women in
politics.
Otemolu added that it was high time women should jettison the idea of “just- participate” and
embrace full political participation.
The politician, who also noted that more women formed a bulk of political followership but got a
paltry in return, however, insisted that the PDP remained the party of today and the future.
He equally charged women to look beyond occupying just the national women leadership position in
the party and go for other posts, including that of national chairman.
In her welcome address, Akande-Adeola, who is also the PDP South-west zonal women leader, said
the parley was taking place at the time when the party was undergoing rebranding and, therefore, the
need for party women to start preparing to stand on their feet to be able to claim their rights.
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