Women Affairs Minister slams governors for closing political space for women in Senate

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, who announced her withdrawal from the senatorial race, has blamed governors for closing the political space for women in the country.

Tallen said the governors who have seen the Senate as “retirement home” are pushing women out ostensibly to take over their seats.

“Our governors are pushing them out because the Senate is becoming retirement ground, it is time for action,” she said.

She spoke on Monday during a virtual programme organized by Pathfinder International and She Forum Africa.

The theme is “Partnership for goals: Advancing the gender agenda for sustainable development”.

Persecondnews recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari had last Wednesday given ministers aspiring for office of President and other elective offices till May 16, 2022 to resign.

Many of them including Labour and Employment Minister, Chris Ngige, the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has withdrawn from the race and are back on their seats as ministers.

On the dwindling number of women in the nation’s upper legislative chamber — the Senate, Tallen said there is a serious conspiracy against women by their menfolk as more than half of the current female senators may not return in 2023.

“It is injustice against women, it is wrong for her to fold her hands over such oppression.

“That was why I accepted the form, but there were guidelines that you have to resign 30 days before and that caught up with me.

“Not just my senator that her seat is threatened, about four out of the eight are not likely to come back.

“My own senator, the senator from Rivers State has been denied ticket, the only senator from North-East, who is the best candidate for the Governor in Adamawa is not coming back to the Senate.

“Our sister, Remi Tinubu, her husband is going for presidential office so she cannot contest.

“Looking at the number of the remaining four, how are we sure they will return,” the ex-Plateau Deputy Governor said.

On why she backpedaled in her pursuit of a seat in the Senate in 2023, said she withdrew from the senatorial race to “support” a female senator from her senatorial zone.

“I have a sitting female senator. All I wanted was for her to continue. We have only eight women out of 109.

“My own senator from my senatorial zone is a woman, she is doing very well, and I’m fully ready to support her,” Tallen said.

The minister, who decried political violence against women, recalled that her nomination form for Senate was bought and picked for her by a group of women.

“While we were addressing the issue of gender-based violence, the issue of political violence against women is top on our agenda now.

“My senator has been harassed and intimated, that’s why on April 28 she withdrew and cried out that she wants to save her life and that of her children.

“Women in my senatorial zone rose up, there was nothing we didn’t do to appeal to her – that led to women in my senatorial zone to contribute money to buy forms for me. I didn’t use one dime to pick the forms,” she said.