Governor Yahaya Bello said he will formally declare his intention to run for president after the February 26 of the APC.
Although the Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, has not officially declared his intention to run for president in the forthcoming 2023 election, more groups have continued to drum support for him.
Women across different sectors gathered in Abuja on Tuesday for a solidarity walk in support of the governor’s ambition under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The groups, including CSOs, professional actors, market women, as well as entrepreneurs, who claimed to have come from different parts of the country, were at the Department of Arts and Culture Exhibition Pavilion brandishing different placards in support of Mr Bello.
After their solidarity march tagged “One Million Women March for Yahaya Bello” across streets in the FCT, the women, under the umbrella of Women United for Yahaya Bello (WUYABEL), described the governor as the solution to Nigeria’s challenges.
Addressing journalists, a former National President of the National Association of Women Journalists, Ifeyinwa Omowole, argued that the coming general elections will be determined by women.
She called on the current administration to give more priority to the medical and general welfare of women and children, an area she said the Kogi governor has delivered well enough.
“We believe that it is Bello that will do it for us because he is a governor that has carried women along in his appointment and the election of women as vice-chairman in all the local governments of the state.
“We decided to support him because he is young, vibrant and supports the course of women,” she said.
A Nollywood actress, Binta Ayo-Mogaji, who led other actresses, including Ayo Adesanya, Dupe Jaiyesinmi, Rose Odika and Lanre Hassan, said she was impressed with the turnout for the rally. She urged the federal government to pay more attention to the needs of women.
The South-west leader of Nigerian market women, Nike Akingboye, said that her team is ready to mobilise support for Mr Bello once he declares to run for presidency.
“Market women are in total support of the Governor and would mobilise massively for him if he declares for presidency,” she said.
Also, the National Association of Women Entrepreneurs’ president, Vera Ndanusa, said the diversity of the women marching for Mr Bello is a testimony of his popularity among them and evidence to the fact that “whenever you empower a woman, you reap the benefits many times over.”
As his support groups continue to grow across the country, Mr Bello said he will delay his declaration till after the APC national convention.
While the party has declared February 26 as the date for the convention, nothing has been said on where it will be zoning the presidential ticket to.
However, not less than three key persons under the ruling APC have made their intention known to President Muhammadu Buhari and officially declared for the seat.
If the Kogi governor eventually throws his hat in the race, he may be contending with the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and a former governor of Abia State and Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Kalu.
There are speculations that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will join the race. He had yet to declare his interest to run as of the time of filing this report, there are different support groups urging him to run.