The mobilisation rally, held in Calabar on Saturday, saw the former minister empower each of the beneficiaries with deep freezers and N50,000 seed capital to boost their petty trades.
By Staff Reporter
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Published on November 1, 2026
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2 min read
Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and co-chair of the APC Women Mobilisation Directorate, Dr Betta Edu, has mobilised 500 market women in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Bassey Otu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The mobilisation rally, held in Calabar on Saturday, saw the former minister empower each of the beneficiaries with deep freezers and N50,000 seed capital to boost their petty trades.
Speaking at the event, Edu said that she was in the state on the orders of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who leads the women’s mobilisation team nationwide.
The former minister said, “I am here on the orders of the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who is our lead in the women’s team all over the nation, and she has sent us here to come and canvass for votes amongst women, farmers, petty traders and the rest of them.”
She explained that the idea behind the empowerment is to provide seed funds for women at the grassroots, noting that many operate businesses worth as low as between N5,000 and N10,000.
She added, “The idea is to provide good seed funds in the hands of these women…we are giving them N50,000 so that they can expand that business, build on it, and things can get better for them and their children.”
She also sensitised the market women on the achievements of the Tinubu administration, including removal of university school fees, free maternal healthcare for pregnant women, and multi-billion naira grants facilitated by the First Lady for market women and other vulnerable groups.
Edu urged Cross Riverians to come out en masse to vote for Tinubu, Otu and all APC candidates from top to bottom, adding that the directorate plans to extend the programme to Obubra and Abi in November/December and to the northern senatorial district in January.
