very four years, we get a chance to elect a new government and for Edo State, that time has come again, though the date has been changed to September 28, 2016. Many political parties have been on the airwaves and the streets of Edo State campaigning and canvassing for your votes.
This is so, because women and girls make up almost half of all eligible voters, who are registered in Edo State, therefore, the power to determine the next government of Edo State lies in your hands. So my question to all Edo women and girls is, what do you plan to do with that power? What do you plan to do with your individual and collective votes?
I know that thousands of Edo women and girls have registered to vote, and I congratulate you for taking that first step towards performing your civic duty, because by participating in the electoral process and exercising the right to vote, women and girls become active participants in shaping what really affects their daily lives.
The next question I would like to ask is this—What would the government of Edo State be like, if all eligible women and girls cast their votes? How do you plan to determine who to vote for? Who will govern you for the next four years; who will create a conducive environment for you to work towards the achievement of your goals; live your life to its fullest potential; create an environment for all Edo women and girls to live a violent and harassment free life, to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency?
Questions you must ask:
1. Does the candidate have a plan?
2. If the candidate has a plan, do the plans address the specific needs of Edo women and girls?
3. Are the plans attainable and measurable or are they just empty promises?
4. Can the candidate be trusted?
As women and girls, who are already facing many challenges in Edo State, some of which are— harassment, insults, molestation and intimidation from government officials while trying to run your business, triple taxation, increased school fees, lack of access to affordable healthcare, the high rate of unemployment, the rise of infant and maternal mortality rates, which is just as high as the national average at 17%, this is unacceptable and added to these are the many other challenges being faced by the rest of the country in the past one year.
How can we remove these shackles and burdens that have brought us pains and trials in the last eight years from our lives in Edo State?
If I were in your shoes, I would be looking for a candidate who has a plan to address these issues, so that I can achieve my goals, contribute to the betterment of my family and my State and hold my head up high as a proud Edo woman who is destined for greatness.
A plan to address these issues must revolve around creating opportunities that Edo women and girls can take advantage of, in order to be able to earn a decent living and take care of a family.
All Edo women and girls should collectively support and cast their votes for a political party/candidate whom we have individually and collectively reviewed his agenda and plan for Edo Women and girls and is proposing to alleviate the current gender based challenges in the area of:
1. Women Empowerment – Promote Gender Equality & Empower Women
2. Economic Empowerment – Jobs, Small Business Grants & Loans
3. Education – Skills/Vocational Training, Scholarships & Bursary
4. Health – Free Healthcare for Women & Infants
5. Taxation – No More Triple, Harsh & Punitive Taxes
6. Policy Protection – Protection from Gender Based Discriminations in the Workplace & Academic Institutions.
7. Violence – Stop Violence against Women & Girls
8. Water Supply & Sanitation – Safe Drinking Water & Adequate Sanitation Facilities
9. Agriculture – Empower Women Small Scale Farmers & Promote Commercial Large Scale Farming
10. Public Decision-Making & Politics – Increase the Number of Women in Public Decision-Making & Political Positions
The sad truth here is that every Edo woman and girl reading this message now can relate to the challenges being faced by and burdens being carried by Edo women and girls, either personally or from the experiences of close friends and family members, therefore, our focus should be on the political party/candidate that can provide solutions and not empty promises.
After a thorough analysis of the various political parties/candidates, which was based on their manifesto, political debates, past policies and attitudes towards the protection and empowerment of women and girls and finally personal experiences of various political parties, shared by Edo women and girls, it is very clear that only one candidate deserves our collective votes and that candidate is Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who will shield all Edo women and girls with the PDP umbrella.
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is the only candidate with a SIMPLE AGENDA on how to take all Edo people to the promise land, a land flowing with milk and honey. He is the only candidate in the history of Edo State to have a laid out plan on what he will do for Edo women and girls when he becomes governor.
Edo women and girls do not need to look any further because Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has a better plan for women and girls, including women with disabilities. From the market place to the office, he has a better plan. From the villages to the cities, he has a better plan. From nursery schools, technical/training institutes to universities, he has a better plan. From health care to the policies that will protect women and children, he has a better plan. From the girl child to the elderly and the physically challenged women, he has a better plan; therefore all Edo women and girls’ votes come September 28, 2016 will be for PDP (the umbrella).
A few months ago, I watched a video with Hon. Mrs. Remi Tinubu, the wife of Bola Ahmed Tinubu – the APC National leader, warning women not to allow APC use them just to win elections, because they will not keep their promises to you. In her own words, APC uses and dumps women. If a woman who is an APC Senator could warn all women about the dangers of supporting her own political party, should we not listen to and take her advice? I would say YES we should.
At the Federal level, APC made a lot of promises to women; however, they have not followed through with any of them and such is the story of the APC government in Edo State, where women and girls are not valued or respected, as evident in the widow being told to go & die by the current State governor, other top political office holders physically molesting & threatening market traders and Betsy Obaseki, the wife of Godwin Obaseki, the APC governorship candidate, calling Edo women and girls prostitutes.
As Edo women and girls, you all know what pains you have been experiencing for the past eight years and you know how to best use the power of your voters’ card to turn your pain to joy.
Yes, the APC government can change the date of election, but they cannot change the fact that you want to change all your negative experiences of the past eight years to positive ones, by voting for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, of PDP (the Umbrella)
They can attempt to put fear in the electorate, but the fear cannot be greater than the ones that all Edo women and girls have been living with for the past eight years, under the APC government, as they try to run their various businesses.
APC can try to rig the election, but when all Edo women and girls agree to come out in large numbers to vote and protect their votes, they cannot take away our ability to choose who governs us.
The Edo State gubernatorial election is a chance for all Edo women and girls to stand and take their future into their own hands. This is not the time to stay home and be afraid. This is not the time to sell your votes. This is not the time to turn away and pretend that you are not seeing or feeling the hardship being put on many Edo women and girls.
This is the time for all Edo women and girls to get it right, speak with one voice and VOTE for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, VOTE for PDP (the UMBRELLA)
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is a lawyer, farmer, husband and father of three beautiful daughters and one son, and he believes that being a woman should never hold you back from achieving your God given potential, and to have him govern us for the next four years, will be a long awaited blessing in the lives of all Edo women and girls. Let us not miss this great opportunity.
On Election Day, do not walk to the polling centers alone. Call your friends, mothers, sisters and neighbors to also go and cast their votes, so that collectively, we can all change the change.
EDO WOMEN AND Girls, DON’T JUST HOPE FOR A BETTER LIFE
VOTE FOR ONE
“When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life”. – Kofi Annan
I wish you well and I look forward to a peaceful election and a more positive life for all Edo women and girls.
