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The next 24 hours of the APC National Delegates Convention are crucial to the party as well as the women of Sierra Leone.
As we monitor the convention, it’s becoming crystal clear that the party will elect a new flag bearer by Monday 20th February 2023. This forms an important part or the most highlight of NDC event of the 18, 19, & 20 February meeting here in Makeni City.
#SheStands2023 has been monitoring the situation on the ground and is abreast with the political campaigns and maneuverings of each aspirant and camp especially the males who think that certain positions are meant only for them and no woman should occupy them. This should be proven wrong.
However and over the time, especially in the last five years we have seen women have risen more than men. They fought very hard to push for reforms in the political system and these reforms are now taking effect.
The GEWE Act aside the Three Gender Bills of the 2000s and other pro-gender legislations like the Sexual Offences Act, etc are all testimonies that geared towards women empowerment.
Women have mustered courage since these developments and have contested elections in hotly placed battle seats and won. Now they are moving towards a new level.
This move today has seen four mayoral aspirants rising in Makeni (Beatrice Edwina Koroma Kamara), Bo City (Catherine Sillah), Kenema City (Bintu Vangahun) and Freetown City (Mariama Seray Kabbah) all vying for mayorship, and three of them with exception of Mariama Seray Kabba been endorsed by #SheStands2023.
In other regional and international chapter elections of both ruling and opposition parties, women have also contested higher party positions and won.
The trend continues and shows that they deserve better.
In the last SLPP National Delegates Convention held quite recently, President Julius Maada Bio chose Dr. Juldeh Jalloh as Running Mate, to the jubilation of thousands. That was well and good but it doesn’t suffice to be complacent to mean the same position for the APC.
The APC has a better choice to make and tilt the elections outcome by choosing a woman. As the maneuvering and intrigues are in display in the run up to the last 24 hours closing the NDC, #SheStands2023 calls on the leadership of the All Peoples Congress (APC) to consider this beautiful option of choosing amongst many of its serious and capable women of the APC as a Running Mate.
Why choose A Woman?
1. The choice of a woman will be the first direct example to demonstrate full compliance and implementation of the GEWE Act.
2. Women will be more convinced that the APC was serious and committed towards gender empowerment
3. There could be an opportunity to garner more votes from large sections of women across various political parties and other interest groups who may wish to compliment the APC party for complimenting with them also.
Finally, we would like to remind the APC that all is fair in love and war and elections need strategies to win. Women today form the vogue, and not men.
Therefore let’s try women now.
#SHESTANDS2023
