This was contained in a statement made available to The Guardian in Benin City and signed by Peter Okonkwo, the Media Aide to Wife of Edo State Governor, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki.
He stated that the NASS action constituted a denial of the rights of women, saying some members of the NGWF represented by the First Ladies of Ekiti, Edo and Akwa Ibom states, who joined the protest at the NASS gate, frowned at the development.
The Chairperson of the Forum, Mrs. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, said, “We are here on behalf of Nigeria’s Governors’ Wives Forum as mothers, as wives, as daughters and as sisters. We, therefore, demand that our rights be recognised; our rights to live as full citizens, our rights to take leadership positions and our rights not to die in childbirth.”
Addressing the protesters, the First Lady of Edo State, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, called on women to vote out all the Legislators, who voted against the gender bills presented to the National Assembly.
Mrs. Obaseki, who quoted the popular slogan, ‘you neglect a woman you lose the election,’ said, “This is what I have come to say to all Nigerian men, especially our politicians, who are seated in political positions and those aspiring to either return or join them in governments and in politics.”
Obaseki added: “If you do a proper analysis of a proper election process, you will find out that women are the ones, who vote the most and when we vote, we stay and protect our votes.
“All Nigerian women, market women, professional women, women in government and women in politics are saying let us unite and form a strong front and tell the men that we are the ones who put them in this position and they must listen to us and give us what we want else we vote them out.”
On her part, Wife of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Martha Udom-Emmanuel said “We are not asking for too much, we are asking the men that have refused to sign the bill to consent to 35% affirmative action, please give us our rights. We are not second-class citizens, we are as important as the men are.”
Some female parliamentarians added their voice to the call, saying the rights of women are issues of human rights.
The Chairman Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Betty Apiafi in her part argued, “We constitute 50% of the nation. How can you allow 50% of your manpower waste? Who does that?”
Former member of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission, Honourable Abike Dabiri, said, “I was in this place for 25 years. When I was here, we were 27 women but today, the women parliamentarians are less than that number, the same thing with the Senate. So, the question is, who is afraid of the Nigerian woman?”
One of the leaders of the protest, Dr. Abiola Afolabi said they would continue their advocacy until they achieve their aim.
“Our demand is that the Senate President and the Right Honourable Speaker leading the House of Representatives must have a dialogue with the leadership of the women’s movement,” she added.
