Convention: APC woos women, disabled persons with reduced nomination fees

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By Olusola AJIBIKE (Abeokuta)

NIGERIA: AHEAD of its forth coming convention, the All Progressive Congress (APC) has extended greater opportunity for women and disabled persons.

In apparent move to involve them in partisan politics, the APC said that the women and disabled persons would be allowed to pay half of the nomination forms for the forthcoming convention.

The APC also restated its commitment in embarking on mass participation of the youth and women in the party’s affairs.

Earlier, the APC had fixed its nomination form fee for the National Chairmanship position for N500, 000 while the contestants for National Working Committee and other offices would pay N200, 000 and N100, 000 fees respectively.

A member of the sub-media committee for the National Convention, Aderinsola Abiola told GatewayMail in Abeokuta, Ogun State that APC was fully prepared to make sure the youth and women are actively involved in the affairs of the party across the country.

Abiola, who is the daughter of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, stated that the national positions which have been zoned to different parts of the country can be contested for by any party member.

She stressed that the party may field a youth or woman for the position of the chairman, if they show interest.

“Any woman or person with disability running for any position would pay half for the nomination forms of that position; this is done to encourage more women and disabled engagement in partisan politics,” she explained.

“We also want to encourage mass youth participation,” she maintained, while adding: “We are taking caution to ensure that there is representation of women and young people in the affairs of the party”.

Abiola, who is also the Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, House of Representatives, said that APC remains a united and one party, while adding that the crisis within the party would be resolved before the convention.

“As far as the convention is concerned, we are one party.  There is a committee set up for reconciliation,” she said.

Abiola added: “Before the date of the convention, everything would be resolved and we would emerge stronger.”

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