Ahead of 2023 general elections, women group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of 774 Women for BAT-KASH 2023 disclosed yesterday that arrangements have been concluded for the mobilization of over 10.689 million women voting bloc for the party’s presidential joint ticket of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.
As part of moves to actualize the project, Senator Binta Masi Garba who represented Adamawa North in the 8th Senate has donated an office complex to the ‘774 Women group for BAT-KASH’.
Speaking at the unveiling of the occasion located at the BGT House, Gwarimpa Abuja, Senator Binta Garba who is the North-East leader of the 774 Women for BAT-KASH 2023 said that the group would achieve the set objective through the mobilisation of 60 women in each of the 176, 846 polling units in the country to ensure that candidates of the APC, both Presidential, Governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives, among others emerge victorious in the forthcoming 2023 elections.
Speaking on the office Complex, the Senator explained that the gesture was geared towards boosting the commitment by the women towards mobilization of votes for our party’s candidates in the 2023 presidential and other elections.
She said, “Their record success and capacity to get over ten million block votes from women in the 176, 846 polling units across the country compelled me to identify with them and donate the office for the smooth running of their activities.
Senator Garba noted that women are an essential component to the coming elections. She expressed confidence that the target or mobilising over 10 million bloc votes, said that the 778 Watnen for BAT-KASH Is a group committed to grassroots mobilisation of votes “for our party’s candidates in the 2023 presidential and other elections.”
On the mobilisation of over 10.689 million women vote bloc for Tinubu, Chairman, National Organising Committee of 774 Women for BAT-KASH 2023, Hon Faith Pakuma disclosed that they received 2,500 decampees from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State at the launch of its South-South zonal body the previous day, said the 774 Women for BAT-KASH 2023 is an umbrella for women; a grassroot movement for BAT-KASH, an initiative that is designed to support the candidature of Tinubu/Shetima.
Pakuma said, “We want to achieve 60 women as polling unit commanders in each of the LGAs across the country to work with us and help mobilise support for all the candidates of the party in the coming elections.”
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman, advisory committee of the body and chairman of NDLEA, Gen Buba Marwa (rtd) who noted that Tinubu and Shettima are the preferred candidates in the 2023 general election, said that the target of mobilizing 60 women of voting age with their passport photographs and relevant details across the 176, 846 polling units in the country is both laudable and achievable by November 2022.
Represented by the former DG of the agency, Otumba Lanre, Marwa who urged the group to get down to work by partnering with other support groups, said “it is essential to be strategic in our approach” with an enduring and credible structure in all the wards and polling units, said, “As the chairman of the advisory committee for this group, | urge you to remain committed, steadfast, and focused on success come 2023. I am prepared and available to share practical ideas with you based on my wealth of experience.”
Also speaking, the Nigeria High Commissioner to Jamaica and the South South Coordinator of the group, Dr. Maureen Tamuno who assured that the group has put everything in place to mobilize millions of women for the Tinubu/ Shettima ticket, vowed that the APC will win in the South South geo- political zone of the country.
According to Tamuno, their membership is drawn from all the local government areas in the country pointing out that the 774 Women for BAT-KASH 2023 and the body is an umbrella platform for women for grassroots mobilization to support the APC presidential candidate and his running mate in 2023.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Minister of state for Niger Delta Affairs, Sharon Ikeazor, commended Senator Binta for her gesture while assuring of her support for all female candidates during the 2023 general elections.
She promised to “give you all my support,” she said, adding, “apart from the presidential candidates, let us support all female candidates nationwide to ensure the possibility of more women in position by 2023.”
On her part, Wife of APC national chairman, Barr Kadija Abdullahi Adamu urged the candidates of the party to ensure they give the women folk its recommended 35 percent representation in government, adding, “We will make good use of the opportunity to mobilise support for BAT-KASH candidacy.”
