Mrs. Elizabeth Ativie, a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA) and Labour Party (LP) House of Representatives candidate for Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Federal Constituency in the forthcoming 2023 elections has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of not being gender sensitive.
The politician said that the ruling party has not been supporting women participation in politics.
Addressing newsmen during a media parley in Benin City, on Sunday, Ativie alleged that the APC had denied women their constitutional rights to participate in politics.
She cited the lists of candidates released by INEC for political offices on the platform of the APC for the Edo State of House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate, saying they confirmed her claim.
Ativie said her decision to fly the LP flag for the House of Representatives seat was borne out of the need to represent the womenfolk, who have been denied effective representation and to make a difference in enthroning good governance.
She added that LP had become the party to beat; hence she joined the party as an obidient servant to serve her constituents and provide quality representation in the quest for women’s relevance and inclusiveness in governance.
She stressed that she dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) because the party does not have space for women participation in politics, Guardian reports.
“I fought for justice for women and that is one of the reasons. APC, as a party, does not have provisions for women. Look at other parties like the PDP, they still brought out some women for House of Assembly; Labour has two for House of Representatives; other parties gave women chance but APC did not produce any woman, and this is unacceptable. I cannot be in that kind of environment, being a female activist.
“I have vindicated women that the way men are fighting for elective positions, we too can. We will continue to fight for women to be given elective and appointive positions.
“I am even more worried than you are; for the fact that we do not have the number of women we ought to have in politics.”
In the political space, the men decided not to allow women to occupy positions, it is not easy for every woman to fight the way I fought, maybe because I was brought up in the barracks,” she said.
