The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has promised Nigerian women a 50 per cent share in government appointments and positions if the party wins the 2027 general elections.
The party made the commitment on Friday in Abuja at the first meeting of the National Speaker of Parliament with State Speakers of the SDP Women Parliament.
The National Chairman of the SDP, Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, represented by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Senator Ugochukwu Uba, said the party was being repositioned and reorganised to provide women with a greater role in its political activities and future administration.
Uba said the party’s forthcoming manifesto would contain specific provisions for women, including equal representation in appointments and organisations.
“In appointments, in all organisations, it is going to be 50-50. We are going to give the women their rightful place in all activities and in all deliberations,” he said.
He assured the women that the SDP would not disappoint them, stressing that the party recognised their importance to Nigeria’s political development.
According to him, the SDP is an ideological party whose philosophy is anchored on Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for the welfare and wellbeing of citizens.
“The SDP is going to ensure that Nigerians, wherever they are – women, men, children and youth – will be catered for in an SDP government. Nobody will be left behind,” he said.
Uba also said senior citizens would not be neglected under an SDP government, promising that the party’s manifesto would address the needs of different segments of society.
He disclosed that the party was mobilising various sectors of the country ahead of the 2027 elections, adding that its presidential candidate was already taking the party’s policies to Nigerians.
The SDP deputy national chairman urged the women leaders to return to their respective states and intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the election campaign.
He also commended the National Women Leader of the party, Hajiya Sa’adatu Abdullahi, for her efforts in mobilising women across the country.
Earlier, Abdullahi charged members of the SDP Women Parliament to brace for the task ahead, saying the 2027 election would not be won through wishful thinking.
She urged the women leaders to build strong structures across the states, mobilise women at the grassroots and ensure that the SDP’s message reached every ward, community and household.
“2027 will not be won by wishful thinking. It will be won by organisation, mobilisation, sacrifice, strategic engagement and the collective determination of our members at the grassroots,” she said.
Abdullahi described the state speakers as strategic pillars of the SDP Women Parliament and urged them to work with courage, discipline, teamwork and loyalty to the party.
She said the meeting was also designed to identify weaknesses within the women’s structure and develop practical strategies for strengthening the party ahead of 2027.
“When women stand together, structures become stronger, voices become louder and political impact becomes undeniable,” she said.
The National Women Leader also commended the delegates for their sacrifices, revealing that many of them travelled to Abuja at their own expense, with some spending the night on the road.
She urged them to return home and turn the decisions reached at the meeting into concrete grassroots action, stressing that the unity and mobilisation of women would be crucial to the SDP’s political success.
