Betta Edu courts 500 C’River women, sets 1.5m vote target for Tinubu

Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Betta Edu, has set a target of 1.5 million votes from Cross River for President Bola Tinubu, come 2027 general elections. Edu, Co-Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Mobilisation Directorate, made the declaration on Sunday in Calabar, during an empowerment programme that benefited about 500 market women, petty traders and artisans.

She said the initiative organised at the instance of the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, was designed to improve women’s economic livelihood, and strengthen grassroots mobilisation. She said the beneficiaries received N50,000 each, alongside business and household equipment, including deep freezers, blenders, and toasters. According to her, the intervention targets petty traders whose businesses are constrained by inadequate capital.

“Some of them are selling trays that have just N5,000 worth of things on them, while some of them have trays with just N10,000 worth of items on them. “So we are giving these sets of petty traders N50,000 each so that they can expand that their business, build on it, so things can get better for them and their children,” she said. Edu urged residents of the state to support Tinubu, Gov.

Bassey Otu and other APC candidates as the party was banking on grassroots women’s mobilisation to strengthen its electoral fortunes in the state. She expressed confidence that the state would deliver more than 1.5 million votes for the ruling party, adding that the directorate was establishing support structures for women across the country. She disclosed that the empowerment programme would be extended to other parts of Cross River, with Abi Local Government Area scheduled to benefit in November or December, while the northern senatorial district would be reached in January.

The former minister also highlighted some Federal Government interventions, including the student loan scheme and free maternal healthcare, as measures aimed at improving the welfare of Nigerians. As part of the mobilisation activities, she led members of the directorate on a visit to the General Hospital, Calabar, where they interacted with patients, pregnant women and children receiving treatment and offered financial and emotional support.

She said the hospital outreach was undertaken at the instance of the First Lady ahead of the APC rally scheduled to hold in Calabar on Monday. Edu also cited subsidised dialysis services and free maternal healthcare as interventions aimed at improving healthcare access and reducing maternal mortality. One of the beneficiaries, Esther Bassey, a widow from Odukpani Local Government Area, expressed appreciation for the support, saying previous empowerment programmes had helped her cater for her three children.

Bassey pledged her support for the APC in 2027, saying she and her family would vote for the party