2027: Tinubu’s daughter mobilises market women, launches Iyaloja movement

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu’s daughter and Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Dr Mujidat Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, has launched the Iyaloja General Movement (IGM) to mobilise market women and other grassroots voters for her father’s re-election in 2027. The movement, inaugurated on Thursday at Eagle Square, Abuja, comprises mainly market women from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with structures reportedly established across the country’s 774 local government areas and various electoral wards.

The group pledged to mobilise 10 million votes for Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election. Speaking at the inauguration, Tinubu-Ojo said the movement would sensitise market leaders, traders and members of the informal sector about the forthcoming elections and encourage them to support candidates they consider capable of providing effective leadership.

She said the group had coordinators and other officials at the state, local government and ward levels to drive its mobilisation efforts. According to her, market women and other informal-sector operators constitute an important voting bloc because of their presence in communities across the country. “What we are putting together as market leaders is to encourage our people and sensitise them on the next election — on which direction they should follow — so that they will not derail.

And to inaugurate my own movement, the Iyaloja General Movement,” she said. Tinubu-Ojo urged voters to consider the direction of the country under the current administration, warning against electing candidates whose policies, in her view, could reverse the gains she attributed to the Tinubu administration. She expressed support for the President’s economic policies, acknowledging that they had imposed hardships on Nigerians but arguing that the expected long-term benefits justified the difficulties.

“President Tinubu has done well. He has policies that will enhance the country and make our country boom again. We know what he has been doing,” she said. “What he is doing right now is like a pregnant woman going through labour. We are labouring now. Almost all Nigerians are feeling what he is doing now. The policies are painful, but the end result will justify the means.” The Iyaloja-General also defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, saying the additional revenue available to the three tiers of government had helped them execute projects and meet financial obligations, including the payment of workers’ salaries.

She urged voters not to support a candidate who had promised to restore the subsidy, arguing that the revenue generated following its removal had enabled governments to undertake infrastructure projects. “We don’t want any person who will drive us back. If we vote somebody else now, that person will come with his own ideas. Somebody has said he is going to return the fuel subsidy, and we can see the impact of the fuel subsidy removal in the states,” she said.

“We can see what the three tiers of government are doing. Workers are getting their salaries paid on time, and infrastructure is in place.” Tinubu-Ojo said the movement would work to sustain support for the President by engaging market associations and grassroots communities ahead of the election.