Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has announced the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, as the leader of its women’s campaign team.
The First Lady is expected to lead the women’s wing of the party to victory as its grand patron under the aegis of “Tinubu/Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Team”
Wife of the party flagbearer and three-term senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial district, Oluremi Tinubu and Nana Shettima –the former first lady of Borno State and wife of APC’s vice-presidential candidate are also members of the team.
They will be Co-Chairing the women’s campaign team respectively. This was contained in a statement issued by Rinsola Abiola, daughter of late Chief MKO Abiola and active member of the APC, who was also named in the media and administrative committees in the women’s campaign team.
The national coordinator Asabe Vilita Bashir, is a former member of the House of Representatives from Borno. She will be deputised by Lauretta Onochie, a senior aide in the Presidency.
The women’s campaign in the North-West Zone will be led by Dr Zainab Baugudu, wife of the Kebbi State governor, while Mrs Falmata Zulum, the first lady of Borno State, will be in charge of the Northeast.
Olufolake Abdulrazaq, the first lady of Kwara State will coordinate mobilisations in the North-Central and Mrs Sanwo-Olu, wife of the Lagos State governor, will oversee the South-West.
A senior APC member, first lady of Imo State, Chioma Ikeaka-Uzodinma, will also coordinate the South-East while Linda Ayade, wife of the Cross River State governor, will spearhead the women’s campaign in the South-South.
All governors’ wives are to serve as state coordinators in APC-controlled states, while notable APC women such as Florence Ajimobi, widow of the former governor of Oyo State and Zainab Ibrahim, the APC Deputy National Women Leader, among others, were chosen to coordinate activities in states not controlled by the APC.
The administrative committee is led by Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King, an influential Lagos politician and close associate of Oluremi Tinubu, also doubles as the chairman of the committee on strategic planning.
Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, a seasoned media practitioner, is to head the Media and Strategic Communications committee while Senator Fatima Raji-Rasaki will head the committee on operations and logistics.
Diaspora Mobilisation Committee is to be chaired by Abike Dabiri-Erewa; The Finance and Special Duties committee will be headed by the former deputy governor of Lagos state and Senior Special Assistant to the President, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
The Creative and Entertainment committee also has the seasoned screen diva, Joke Silva, as its chairman, and includes other members such as Toyin Adegbola, Esther Wright, Rose Odika and Hadiza Kabara, among others.
The Directorate of Contact and Mobilisation has 944 members including Hon. Tolulope Akande Sadipe, Hon. Rekiya Yahaya, Zainab Ikaz-Kassim and others.
The list also contains volunteers including Zahra Buhari, Hafsa Umar Shinkafi, Ahmed Indimi, Mairo Bulama Idris, Aisha Ahmed Jika among others.