Alhaji Mohammed Dan-Barde, an All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial aspirant in Gombe State, has pledged to give equal opportunities for women if voted in 2019.
Dan-Barde made the promise on Sunday in Gombe while addressing the party’s women leaders drawn from 11 local government areas and 114 wards in the state.
NAN reports that the event was organised in commemoration of 2018 international Women’s Day in Gombe.
He said giving equal opportunity to women would enable them to contribute their quota toward the development of the state in particular and the country in general.
“We feel that it is important to come and celebrate with women who are our mothers, wives and our daughters.
“This is one of the firth agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations which all countries have signed for women to be treated equally with their male counterparts; and to be empowered.
“They must be guaranteed equality in everything; we should not discriminate against them on the basis of gender.
“We must make them our focus, our vision cannot be realised without making sure that the goals and objectives of empowering women and children are achieved.
According to him, seventy per cent of votes are from women who do not have up to seven per cent positions in leadership roles.
Miss Alhamis Maigida, APC Women Leader in the state thanked Dan-Barde for celebrating International women’s day with them.
She described the event as first of its kind in the history of the state.
Maigida called on women to continue to sensitise others on the importance of getting voters cards to enable them exercise their rights in 2019.
She said this would enable them to vote credible candidates in various positions in the state and the country.
“I am appealing to you, because it is the only way you can ensure that only credible candidates of your choice are brought into power in 2019,” she said.
She also called on women to vote for only aspirants or candidates who had respect for women and valued their contributions to society.
The Zonal Women leaders of Gombe Central, South and North, Rose Danjuma, Margret Bitrus and Uwani Gara respectively, assured the aspirant of full support of their respective constituencies.