A female aspirant for the Labour Party Governorship ticket, Aisha Okojie-Odigie, has said the party lost a unique opportunity to lead by example following the reversal of a party policy designed to give expression of interest forms free to women.
She said this in a document made available to Vanguard in Abuja, on Thursday.
According to her, the party hitherto had targeted policies in place to encourage inclusiveness for women and other vulnerable groups.
Okorie-Odigie, however, expressed regret that the current party leadership has filtered the goodwill it enjoyed on this front with the introduction of exorbitant fees for the purchase of these forms.
The aspirant said although she had since carried her campaign to the length and breadth of Edo State, she decided not to pay for the forms in Abuja because doing so would be against her firm belief that women and other vulnerable groups deserve better treatment.
She noted that while her initial advocacy yielded some concessions for women, the party’s brazen decision to ignore youths and the disabled was troubling.
The aspirant noted that some of the changes introduced by the party concerning the cost of forms and other guidelines that do not take cognizance of the significant role of women and youths; are in stark contrast to the inclusive practices of other political parties, such as the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party.
She equally said, “It is imperative for our party to adopt similar standards to ensure fairness and representation for all, and incumbent upon us to ensure that it remains true to its foundational principles of inclusivity and fairness.
“This entails not only making forms accessible and affordable to everyone but also finding sustainable ways to finance Party activities without compromising our values.
“I believe that all members should have access to political processes, regardless of financial status, to ensure genuine representation.”
