By Tayo Ogunbiyi
It is no longer news that former American Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, on June 4, 2016 became the first woman in American history to become a presumptive presidential nominee for a political party. Mrs. Clinton clinched the Democratic Party nomination for the forthcoming United States presidential election after reaching the required number of delegates that puts her on 2,383, the number needed to make her the presumed nominee. She reached the threshold with a super big win in Puerto Rico over fellow Democratic hopeful, Mr. Bernie Sander.
It has taken a long 227 years to get even this far since George Washington was elected president of a newly independent America in 1789. The journey of Mrs. Clinton’s White House aspiration did not just begin. It started precisely on January 20, 2007. That was the first time she declared her aspiration for the White House, only to be surprisingly trounced by a relatively unknown Barack Obama who dazzled Americans and, indeed, the whole world with his extra-ordinary oratory and unrivalled political networking.
With the unlikely prospect of out-foxing Obama for the coveted seat, Mrs. Clinton had to wait for another eight years to actualise her dream. That her exhilaration knows no bound at achieving such unprecedented heroic should, therefore, be understandable. Shortly after attaining the historic feat, a visibly excited Mrs. Clinton, while addressing an equally elated crowd of supporters, said: “We are on the brink of a historic and unprecedented moment.”
The former Secretary of State, former New York senator and former First Lady scored a significantly greater lead over Sanders than Obama had over her in 2008. Obama led Mrs. Clinton by 131 pledged delegates and 105 super delegates at the point he clinched the nomination in 2008.
The icing for Mrs. Clinton is her recent endorsement by President Obama. According to Obama, having worked with Mrs. Clinton for some time, there is no better candidate to succeed him order than the former First Lady. Many had referred to Obama’s backing as a boost for Mrs. Clinton’s presidential aspiration, while others simply see it as an albatross considering what they termed “Obama’s un-impressive presidency”.
This, of course, is just by the way. The way things currently stand; Mrs. Clinton has, no doubt, made history in the political annals of her country, and her political antecedent as a former First Lady, former senator and former Secretary of State are by no means intimidating. She has shown herself as a woman who has the will to tread where others tremble. The strength of her political conviction, resolve and will power know no bounds. She is a daring and focused woman who only pays attention to her destination and not what happens on her path to destiny actualisation.
Characteristically, advocates of gender equality across the world and, especially in Nigeria, have been celebrating Mrs. Clinton’s victory which they see as a victory for the womenfolk. The mainstay of their argument is that there is no better way to draw global attention to their course than a Mrs. Clinton presidency. To them, when and if it eventually happens, a Mrs. Clinton presidency would undoubtedly help to further their cause. Expectedly, in Nigeria, many gender equality promoters are rooting for Mrs. Clinton to make it to the White House. This is based on the conviction that Mrs. Clinton’s rising political profile will further boost their drive for gender equality campaign in the land.
Understandably, as a result of limited opportunities and the resultant stiff competition for space across almost every sector, drive for gender equality seemingly has some merits in our clime. However, and in all honesty, I have always viewed campaign for gender equality as disrespectful for the womenfolk. This is why one takes exception to the recent bashing of Ooni of Ife’s wife, Wuraola, in the social media over her stance on the same issue. Campaigning for gender equality tends to give an impression that women do not have what it takes to secure relevance but should all the same be considered for such on account of femininity.
This, to me, is a rather derogatory position. The fact, of course, is that women, either in our country or anywhere in the world, have all it takes to take their rightful position across all sectors. But it should be emphasised that this could not happen if all what women rely on is emotional appeal to their femaleness. Competence, vision, resourcefulness, drive, ideas among others is what is needed for anyone to ascend the ladder of greatness and recognition in life. And history and contemporary happenings have consistently shown that the sky is always the starting point for anyone, irrespective of gender, who possesses these qualities in reasonable proportion.
Hence, clamouring for a woman or a man for that matter to occupy a particular position on the basis of gender contemplation is, to say the least, contemptible. In the case of Mrs. Clinton that is being celebrated presently, it should be affirmed that those that voted for her did not do so based on such ephemeral concern as gender egalitarianism. No! Rather, they preferred her on the basis of her competence, suitability, experience, perseverance as well as the strength of her political convictions. Ironically, according to a latest survey, younger American women are not even rooting for Mrs. Clinton. They prefer the maverick Donald Trump.
As it has been previously stated, Mrs. Clinton had been in the game for quite some time. She knows the American political terrain. She has the needed political connection and she is blessed with a unique political conviction. Yes, she can be celebrated for being the first woman in America’s political history to get this far in her political aspiration. But certainly, she would not get to destination White House solely on a feeble femininity card.
• Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Ikeja.
