•Begins nationwide mobilisation, says state structures now in place
By Esther Oseyiomon
A women’s group backing the presidential ticket of Mr Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso has urged Nigerian women not to sell their votes in the 2027 general election, as it began a nationwide mobilisation drive for the two leaders.
The Obi-Kwankwaso National Women’s Support Group said it had set up structures across the states to take its message to every community. It said it was working for the election of Obi as president and Kwankwaso as vice-president on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Convener and National Coordinator of the group, Anwuli Ogbechi, gave the warning in a statement marking the launch of the campaign, which formally commenced on October 1.
“Do not sell your vote. Do not hand over your voter’s card for money,” she said.
“Money that will not last a week can cost you four years of hardship. Your vote is your voice and your children’s future. Guard it.”
Ogbechi, popularly known as Habibat, is a Delta State indigene who was born and raised in Kano. She said the group’s membership reflected the Nigeria its members wanted to build.
“In this group, a woman from Imo stands with a woman from Kano. Kwankwasiyya women stand with Islamiya women, and Christians stand with Muslims. We are proof that Nigeria can be united,” she said.
“Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso offer a unifying government that can lay the foundation for better lives for us, our children and the generations after them. I call on every Nigerian woman to rise to this moment and vote for them.”
She added that the group’s state structures were fully in place and ready to deliver.
“Under the NDC banner, united across North and South, we move forward as one, to reach every home, to mobilise every community, and to secure the future our nation deserves,” she said.
The group said it was founded by women inspired by the need for a better Nigeria. It listed its guiding ideals as democratic governance, inclusive leadership, social justice, national unity and responsible public service.
According to the statement, the group will use its state structures to hold town hall meetings, community forums and door-to-door engagement. Its outreach will target women leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, young women and community organisers, as well as persons with disabilities and underserved communities.
It said its work would go beyond the election season. Planned programmes include leadership mentoring and political education for young women, and engagement with entrepreneurs and women in the diaspora. Others are medical and educational outreach, and inclusion programmes for persons with disabilities.
Other members of the national leadership are Hajia Mairo Musa Abubakar, Vice Coordinator, North; Pastor Basiratu Musa Ibijoke, Deputy Coordinator, South; and Lolo Victoria Mgbor Odogwu, General Secretary. Tina Ohwo is Organising Secretary, while Hajia Fadimatu Atiku Danrimi is Treasurer.
Also on the team are Chika Ibe, Financial Secretary; Igbinlade Oluwagboyinmi Oluwatunmise, Legal Adviser; and Chinyere O. Ejike and Blessing Okoli, Publicity Secretaries. The others are Esther Ajayi-Adetayo, Welfare Officer; and Ifeoma Uchechukwu, FCT and National Director, Interfaith and Intertribal Affairs.
The zonal coordinators are Hajia Kaltume Babayo, Zainab Turaki, Dr Sophia Orji, Yetunde Elizabeth Awoyemi and Mrs Vivian Obiajulu Uyanne.
The group said its next phase would involve expanding and coordinating its grassroots activities across the states to build support for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.