A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ondo State, Erelu Modupe Martins, has called for gender equality between men and women in Nigerian politics.
Martins, in a statement on Sunday in Akure, described the recent termination of her appointment as the Senior Legislative Aide(SLA) to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, as discriminatory.
The APC chieftain while berating the termination of her appointment, said it was unlawful and called for the intervention of women right activists.
“This action, taken without formal explanation, violates the terms of the appointment and highlights a broader issue of gender inequality in Nigerian politics.
“This kind of action coming from the exhaustive position of the Senate President is unwarranted. Public officers are expected to lead by example, yet this incident highlights the unfair treatment of women in political positions,” Martins stated.
She emphasised the disparity in treatment between men and women in politics, noting, “if it were a man, he is unlikely to be relieved of such a position without due process.
“My termination contravenes the outlined terms, which stipulate that I could only be dismissed for good cause, with one month’s notice or salary in lieu of notice.”
She lamented the persistent misogynistic attitudes that women face in political offices in Nigeria, stating, “this must stop.
“I never anticipated becoming a victim of the very struggle I fought for as Women Leader in Ondo State.”
The former Deputy Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in Ondo State, who expressed deep disappointment, stated that there was disparity in treatment between men and women in politics in the country.
“I worked diligently on the campaign for President Bola Tinubu and deserve to be treated with respect as a dedicated member of the party,” she said.
Martins alleged that the reversal of her appointment was likely motivated by Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim(Ondo South-APC) following his loss in the recent governorship primary of the APC.
She emphasised strong commitment to the unity in APC, adding that as a true progressive, she would always support the best interest of the party and the state, even when it was different from the ambitions of others.
Martins, who served as the Deputy Director, Special Duty II for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), said that her utmost concern was for the welfare of other women who might suffer similar injustices.
Responding to the allegation, Mr Benjamin Ebenezer, who is a member of the Jimoh Ibrahim Campaign Group, also known as ASEYORI TEAM, described the allegation as a mere figment of imagination of Martins.
Ebenezer said that Martins was only nursing the wounds of her disloyalty.
“Modupe Akindele-Martins has been a disloyal member of the team from inception. Whereas, loyalty is 101 per cent beyond mathematics.
“She has disloyalty traits after decamping from APC to Labour Party(LP); to Alliance for Democracy(AD), then to SDP where she was given the deputy governorship ticket to contest again APC during Akeredolu first tenure.
“Why crying foul?,” he said. (NAN)
