Abuja- A coalition of women, youths and persons with disability in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has announced support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming elections.
They said, at a rally in support of APC’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, in Abuja that the party was better prepared to address the plight of vulnerable groups in the country.
They stated that women and the youth had been abandoned for too long while the welfare of disabled persons had been neglected.
Hajiya Hasiya Suleiman, National Coordinator, Harbingers of Change for Buhari, a member of the coalition, said that though the present administration had done its best, it was time for Nigerians to embrace change.
She said that Buhari represented the change that vulnerable groups in the country had yearned for in the past 15 years of democratic rule in the country.
Suleiman said that the group was committed to its support for Buhari’s candidacy ‘’till the results of the elections are announced’’.
Suleiman disclosed that the group had mobilised its members and would keep sensitising vulnerable persons to adopt the new wave that would “genuinely enthrone transform’’.
According to her, members of the group in the 774 local government areas in the country have mobilised resources to ensure that they vote and protect their votes.
The coordinator urged Buhari’s supporters to eschew violence during and after the elections, adding that APC was a party to beat in the current political dispensation in the country.
On her part, Leader of Virtuous Women International, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Hajiya Fati Muhammed, also urged women and disabled persons to support the APC in the elections.
She said the group’s conviction about APC’s capacity to deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians stemmed from its record of achievements in some states across the country.
Muhammed said that Buhari’s age was not an inhibition to his readiness to salvage the country from its socio-economic problems.
“Buhari’s focus and integrity are some of the strong points that have stood him out among the other candidates.
“We desire for a president that is strong, independent in thinking and has the capacity to deal with both family and national pressure,’’ she said.
Muhammed said that the group had mobilised women and disabled persons across religious and ethnic lines to vote for Buhari.
According to her, contrary to the notion that Buhari is a religious bigot, support for him cuts across religious and cultural affiliations.