Accord party adopts gender equality in Lagos LG poll

Accord Party on Friday said it would adopt a 50/50 gender equality policy in the July 24 Local Government poll in Lagos State.

The Publicity Secretary of the party, Dele Oladeji, gave this hint in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Oladeji said that the step would give equal opportunity to both male and female aspirants to fly the party’s flag in the election.

“It has become imperative to mainstream gender equality in public offices.

“We are ready and we are winning.

“Our party is going to contest in all the local governments and in every ward.

“We are coming out to make democracy and public offices very open to Lagos residents.

“We have already imbibed the 50/50 gender equality in empowering the womenfolk to aspire for public offices.

“We have also reduced every economic barrier that is used to encumber women’s participation in public offices,’’ the party’s spokesman told NAN.

According to him, if the chairmanship candidate of the party is a male, the vice chairmanship candidate will be a female and vice versa across the 20 local governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas of the state.

Oladeji decried various traditions, policies and practices working against the female gender in aspiring for political offices.

“If people can entrust us with their mandates, they will certainly see the difference.

“This time, we are ensuring full women inclusiveness.

“We are stopping all forms of gender inequality in this election and we can even have woman/woman tickets.’’

The party spokesman said that the party has started selling declaration of interest forms to members who want to vie for offices.

He added that the party had also obtained nomination forms from the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).

NAN reports that the tenure of the incumbent chairmen and councillors, who have been in power since 2017, will expire in July.

The state electoral umpire has scheduled the councils’ poll for July 24.