Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Betta Edu on Saturday took President Bola Tinubu’s re-election message to more than 5,000 market women, petty traders and artisans in Calabar, Cross River State.
For many of the market women who gathered at Watt Market, N50,000 represented more than cash but was several times the value of the goods some carry on their trays, a potential turning point for businesses that often survive on less than N10,000 in daily stock.
Dr. Edu, Deputy Director of the Women Mobilisation Directorate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, on behalf of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, distributed ₦50,000 each to 500 beneficiaries.
The grants are intended as seed capital for traders whose limited working capital constrains growth. “Some of them are selling trays that have just N5,000 worth of things on them, while some have trays with just N10,000 worth of items,” Edu said,
The former Minister added that the support should help them expand their businesses and improve conditions for their children.
The outreach also carried an unmistakable political purpose. Edu urged the women to support President Tinubu, Cross River Governor Bassey Otu and other APC candidates in 2027.
She said the state should deliver more than 1.5 million votes for the ruling party.
“You must hand-hold every woman you have spoken to and ensure the vote for APC from top to bottom in the next election,” she told the crowd.
Beyond the grants, beneficiaries competed for household and business equipment – including deep freezers, blenders and toasters – through a dance competition, while others received clothing and financial prizes.
The event blended economic assistance with celebration, music and appeals for political support.
One beneficiary, Esther Bassey, pledged that she and her family would vote for the APC in 2027.
The Calabar programme is the first phase of a planned expansion across Cross River, with similar exercises scheduled for Abi Local Government Area in November or December and the state’s northern senatorial district in January.
Edu said the initiative would ultimately extend to every state.
NewsQuest reports that the outreach reflects the APC’s broader strategy of pairing women’s economic empowerment with grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 election.
The Women Mobilisation Directorate has said it aims to build support structures in markets, communities and households nationwide as part of a campaign targeting roughly 40 million women’s votes.
Our correspondent gathered that for the 500 women who left Watt Market with new capital, the immediate benefit was practical: the chance to restock, expand and return to their stalls with greater purchasing power.
