…As women leaders kick against Edu’s visit to Tinubu
• Accuse her of visiting Villa with fake women stakeholders, leaders
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Strong indication of fresh crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged at the weekend with the elected female national officers and zonal women leaders of the party petitioning President Bola Tinubu to disassociate themselves from the visit of the party’s National Woman Leader, Dr Beta Edu, to the presidency.
The women, in the petition signed by Omorede Osifo,
APC deputy national treasurer, and eight other party officers, expressed total displeasure over the visit the National Woman Leader made to the Presidential Villa on Thursday.
Passing a unanimous vote of no confidence on Dr Edu, the petitioners accused her of taking fake women, she paraded as women leaders and stakeholders, to the Presidential Villa.
The signatories also described the visit as misrepresentation and self-aggrandizement, claiming that; “it is disheartening that Edu could label her visit to Mr. President to be the representation of national stakeholders and zonal women leaders even without them knowing and not in attendance.”
They further noted that; “it is worrisome that at this infancy stage of the administration of President Tinubu, which needs all hands on deck that the women leadership of the party is already experiencing division and seclusion in representation which has been the pattern of the National Woman Leader since her emergence.”
Stating in clear strong terms the rejection of her leadership for failing to manage the affairs of the women in the party, the petitioners lamented that throughout the electioneering, Dr Edu worked in isolation without synergy with her colleagues’ national women officials of the party and the zonal women leaders.
Their statement reads in part: “Without deviating from the essence of this subject, it is very pertinent we express our total displeasure and concern over the misrepresentation and self-aggrandizement of the National Woman Leader visit to the Presidential Villa on the 13th of July, 2023.
“We wish to state categorically and in strong terms that her visit to the Presidential Villa was a misrepresentation as she in no way represent the elected National Women Officials and Zonal Women Leaders of the party as against the news making the rounds.
“We were totally unaware of her Presidential visit and no due information nor notification were given to us the women she claimed to represent during her visit.
“It is disheartening that Dr Beta Edu could label her visit to Mr. President to be the representation of national stakeholders and zonal women leaders even without them knowing and not in attendance during the visit.
“It is in strong terms that we reject her leadership because she has failed in managing the affairs of the women in the party. “Throughout the electioneering, Edu worked in isolation without a synergy with her colleagues’ national women officials of the party and the zonal women leaders.
“We individually devised means and strategies to galvanize and mobilize support for the party in our various states and travelled to almost all states campaigning with Mr. President with our personal funds and resources because we are highly committed to the Renewed Hope Project and which we are glad to be part of the success story of today.
“We want Mr President to know that most women paraded by Dr Betta Edu were mostly fake. Authentic and democratically elected national officers who are even National Executive Council members, all zonal women leaders, the three women senators and 15 female House of Representatives members and a host of others relevant women leaders and stakeholders were replaced by fake women in the visit to the President.
“We hereby reject the leadership of Dr Betta Edu and unanimously pass a vote of no confidence on her and whatever she represents. We appeal to Mr President to use his good office to grant audience to the elected national female executives and zonal women leaders of our great party for all-inclusiveness.”
