Osun NNPP concedes 50% of legislative tickets to female candidates

The Osun State chapter of the New Nigeria Peoples Party has said women in the state should play more prominent roles in government, describing them as “courageous, capable and strong enough” to deliver if trusted with power.

The party has subsequently announced that 50 per cent of its National and State Assembly tickets in the 2027 general elections have been ceded to women.

It also pledged to give women in the state the opportunity to hold critical public offices, while those in private businesses would also get attention if the NNPP wins the August 15 Osun governorship poll.

This was disclosed by the Osun NNPP chairman, Tosin Odeyemi, during the party’s primary elections held at its secretariat in Osogbo, where candidates for the National Assembly and State Assembly positions were unveiled.

Odeyemi, in a statement obtained in Osogbo on Saturday, further stated that the party recognised the capacity of women to deliver votes for the candidates of their choice, adding that the Osun NNPP, in recognition of the strength of the female gender to mobilise support, gave 50 per cent of its NASS and State Assembly tickets to them.

“Osun NNPP is fully prepared for the general elections. Nigerians are tired of ‘promise and fail’ parties that have ruled in the past. We recognise the strength of our women.

“That is why the party is giving them 50 per cent of our NASS and State Assembly tickets in the 2027 polls.

“We are also working hard to further improve our chances in the 2026 governorship poll. If Osun voters support us to victory, women will serve in critical offices in our administration.

“Those in private businesses will also receive due attention from the government. We believe strongly in the capacity of our women,” Odeyemi said.

He urged the candidates to refrain from campaigns of calumny, saying they should engage in issue-based campaigns and make promises they can fulfil when elected.

Speaking on behalf of others, the NNPP Osun West Senatorial candidate, Folasayo Makinde, urged women in the state to approach politics with determination and stop playing second fiddle to male politicians.

Makinde further said, “Men make use of us more during campaigns; they believe in our ability and capacity to gather votes for them, but when they get into power, they neglect us.

“That is why I want to commend the leadership of my party in the state for giving many of us an enabling environment to showcase what we have.

“Women are nation builders. We have empathy and we know where the shoe pinches. We can transform the whole nation for the better at any given opportunity.

“I want to appeal to our people in Osun, most especially women in Osun West Senatorial District, to give me this great chance and I promise I will not let them down.”

At the primary elections, witnessed by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the names of the party’s candidates were read and delegates affirmed them as the flagbearers of the party.