Presidential aspirant wants a woman as his deputy for 2019 election

Fela Durotoye

He said he wants a running mate who is also capable enough to fill the president's shoes.

Presidential aspirant, Fela Durotoye, has disclosed that he's currently searching for a female running mate to stand next to him to contest in the 2019 presidential election.

While speaking during an appearance on Lagos-based Nigeria Info FM on Friday, May 18, 2018, Durotoye noted that he believes in empowering women as it is a great way to create a better society.

Durotoye, a management consultant and leadership expert, said his choice of running mate will be a woman who is quite capable to become president in the event something happens to the president.

He said, "I believe in women. I believe in not only giving women opportunities but support to women and I believe that when you support women, more than half of your society, you can only have a better society.

"So women are not less than men but equal partners to men and, more importantly, if you empower that group of people, you'll have an amazing society.

"The gender distribution and gender balance policy that we have is a 50-50 gender balance and there is a very strong chance that, if everything goes the way I would like it to go, my running mate will be a woman.

"I have been very clear and we're currently in the search for a female vice presidential candidate who will not be chosen just simply because she's female, but she'll be competent to be a president should anything happen to the president.

"That tells you the kind of way I feel about women; I think women should be given the greatest opportunities to do great things."

Durotoye to contest with ANN

Durotoye declared his intention to run for president on the platform of the Alliance for a New Nigeria (ANN) on February 22, 2018.

He believes Nigeria has all the resources it needs to be a desirable place for anyone to inhabit, provided it gets the right leadership.

In his declaration speech, he disclosed that he wants to see a Nigeria where old parties with their old ideology of godfatherism would become history.