Former Senator, Gbemisola Saraki has disclosed that Aisha Al-Hassan’s declaration as the duly elected governor of Taraba State by the State Governorship Election Tribunal has laid to rest the notion that a woman can never become a governor in Nigeria.
According to Saraki, the judgment would encourage women to seek elective positions and remove the restrictions that have laid them back from vying for certain elective posts.
Saraki in a statement issued on Sunday to congratulate Al-Hassan, said the victory was a victory for all Nigerian women.
DAILY POST recalls that the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had on Saturday nullified the election of Governor Darius Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party and declared Aisha Al-Hassan of the APC candidate, as the winner of the April 11, 2015 election.
By the verdict, Al-Hassan has become the first elected female governor in Nigeria.
Saraki noted that Al-Hassan’s victory has validated the claim that wind of change was blowing across the country.
“I believe that this achievement should encourage women, especially the future generation of women, to vie for any position in public office without considering their gender a hindrance to their success. The country, Nigeria, belongs to us all and we must all play our part in its development,” Saraki said.
The former senator who represented Kwara-Central senatorial district on the platform of the PDP in 2003, commended Al-Hassan’s resilience and the manner she protected the mandate given to her by the people of Taraba State.
“The APC’s mantra of change is sweeping across Nigeria as the country is experiencing many unprecedented democratic firsts. This is yet another historic moment for Nigeria, particularly for the women and the advocates who have struggled over the years for equality in the political space. It is a milestone that will revolutionise our perception about women leadership and its prospect for true democracy.
“The victory is not only that of Senator Aisha Al-Hassan, the people of Taraba, or the APC but for all Nigerian women, political and non-political, Muslims and Christians at home and in the Diaspora, who have fought diligently over the years for equality in party politics and in government appointments,” the statement reads.
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