Women can vote us out in 2015 – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan believes women voters
have the capacity to vote out his administration in
2015 and even elect their kind to preside over the
affairs of the country.
The President also expressed the hope that Nigeria
would soon produce its first set of women service
chiefs.
Jonathan, who spoke while declaring open the 7th
Summit of African First Ladies Peace Mission in Abuja
on July 14, said the governorship election in Edo
State had shown that women voters outnumber their
men counterparts and could utilise the numerical
strength for electoral purposes.
He said, "Women can vote us out come 2015. They
can even put a woman as President.
"Our commitment to electoral reforms and justice
has ushered in an era where women can deploy their
numerical strength to ensure that their preferred
candidates win elections at all levels.
"This has been made possible in every instance by
our administration commitment to the electoral
principle of one man one vote, one woman one vote,
and one youth one vote."
Jonathan said his administration had encouraged
women by giving them public appointments such as
the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of
the Economy and Minister of Petroleum of Resources
and the Chief Justice of the Federation.
He added that by making provision for the admission
of women to the Nigerian Defence Academy as
combatants, women could aspire to be service chiefs
and even Chief of Defence Staff.
He said, "For the first time, we admitted women to
the prestigious NDA to prepare women as full
combatants in the Army, Navy and Air force.
"We have admitted women now into NDA and we are
hopeful that in few years to come, a woman could be
chief of army staff, chief of air staff, chief of naval
staff or even chief of defence staff."
Jonathan said since women have got more than they
bargained for, he hopes they would not begin to
discriminate against the men.
He said, "They asked for 35 per cent and we have
given them 60 per cent. I hope they will not turn out
to discriminate against us."