I wouldn’t need legal backing to include women in government if elected president, says Yahaya Bello

Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, says he will include more women in government if elected president. 

Bello spoke on Monday in an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels television programme.

The governor said the All Progressives Congress (APC) can garner over 41 million votes in the 2023 presidential election if a popular candidate emerges at the party’s primary election.

He said the APC should throw open its presidential ticket and not zone it to any particular region, adding that it will allow the best candidate to win.

According to him, the type of leader the country needs right now is a capable, committed, young, and vibrant individual who can turn the tides of the country, regardless of his or her region, build bridges across ethnic and religious lines, and ensure that youths, women, and people with disabilities are included in governance.

“This is why women across the nation have been calling on me to run for president, considering the robust track record of giving women high-level inclusion in my administration,” he said.

Bello said the emergence of Abdullahi Adamu, who is from the north-central, as APC national chairman will not deter him from running for president.

“The new party leader and the national working committee (NWC) have great experience to lead the party into a strong and cohesive entity,” he said.

“The option of consensus in selecting the majority of the party leaders was clearly in line with legal standing although positions where there was no agreed consensus, contestants went through the polls.”

He added that the APC will follow a democratic process in selecting its presidential candidate.