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Politics
September 10, 2025 by Chinyere Okoroafor
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has challenged women and youths to take bold steps into active politics and governance, saying their involvement is critical to Nigeria’s future.
Sanwo-Olu, represented by his wife, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, gave the charge at the APC Lagos State Women’s Summit held yesterday with the theme “Arise, Aspire, Ascend.”
The governor said women had long been the engine of grassroots mobilisation and party strategy but must now convert that strength into leadership and policymaking roles.
“As women, we must arise from complicity, aspire to take our rightful place in leadership, and ascend to new levels of impact,” he declared.
He added that youths, particularly first-time voters, must be drawn into the political process early. “If 4,000 of us each bring 20 people to register, that’s 80,000 new voices for democracy. This is how we multiply our impact,” he noted.
The summit, which attracted over 4,000 participants, focused on mobilising women and young people ahead of the 2027 elections.
Sanwo-Olu lamented Lagos’ low voter turnout in 2023, where only 762,000 out of seven million registered voters cast their ballots.
“Gen Z, you have work to do. This time, we expect every young person not only to register but to vote and defend their votes,” she said, charging participants to ensure at least 20 new voters are registered each before the next polls.
Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, declared that Nigerian women will unite to endorse President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027, citing his unprecedented commitment to women’s empowerment and youth development.
The minister said women are the “heartbeat of this administration” and pledged that, this time, Nigerian women will speak with one voice to demand their rightful place in governance.
“Collectively, we are going to endorse Mr. President, and we’re going with a shopping list, because 26 years into democracy, we still have no female governor, only four female senators out of 109, and just 3.7% of elective offices occupied by women. But things are about to change,” she declared.
Highlighting Tinubu’s record, Ibrahim said the President has launched the Renewed Hope Social Impact Programme, targeting women, children, families, and the vulnerable across eight thematic areas, including agriculture and market women support.
She also revealed that for the first time, the Women Affairs Ministry has secured N2.5 billion for small and medium enterprises and another N2 billion for women in agriculture.
The minister stressed that true empowerment must be economic, insisting that “when women have money, they can run for office, send their children to school, fight malnutrition, and reduce gender-based violence. Nobody beats a woman who is financially independent.”
She urged women and youths, particularly first-time voters, to register and collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), warning that political participation must go beyond attendance at rallies. “As politicians, we must make the vote count. We don’t want charity seats; we want positions because we have something to offer and the heart to carry the people,” she said.
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“The best is yet to come. This government has done more for women than any before it. Come 2027, we will line up in even greater numbers to return Mr. President for a second term,” she concluded.
The APC Lagos Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, praised women as resilient and indispensable to development.
He endorsed Tinubu for a second term, citing the administration’s economic reforms. “In just three years, this government has reset Nigeria and earned international respect. Continuity is essential,” he said.
APC National Women Leader, Dr. Mary Alile Idele, urged members to be proactive, while Lagos APC Women Leader, Jumoke Okoya-Thomas, called on women to move beyond being “silent beneficiaries” of government programmes to become “loud ambassadors” of APC’s achievements.
Okoya-Thomas announced plans to launch a women’s mobilisation platform focused on voter education, community organising, and amplifying stories of government impact.
“The grassroots are not below; they are the foundation. When women dream, societies evolve,” she said, directing each local government to mobilise at least 1,000 young voters before year’s end.
With songs of solidarity and renewed pledges of loyalty to the APC, the summit closed with a rallying call: “Arise with dignity, Aspire with vision, Ascend with APC.”
English (US)