Co-Director of the women Directorate for the Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Betta Edu, has taken the re-election campaign message of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, to more than 5,000 market women and small-business owners in Calabar, while 500 petty traders received financial support of ₦50,000 each.
The outreach, which brought together women mobilised from different markets across Calabar, also featured an empowerment initiative undertaken on behalf of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to provide financial assistance to women engaged in petty trading and small-scale businesses.
Each of the 500 beneficiaries received ₦50,000, amounting to a total financial intervention of ₦25 million, to support their businesses, replenish stock, improve their purchasing power and strengthen their livelihoods.
For many petty traders whose businesses operate on limited capital, the intervention is expected to provide additional working capital and an opportunity to expand their daily trading activities.
Edu, who is the Co-Director of the Women Mobilisation Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, also presented various gift items and consolation prizes during the event. These included deep freezers, blenders, toasters, luxury dresses and additional financial grants, which participants won through a dance competition organised as part of the outreach.
The event attracted over 5,000 market women drawn from different markets across Calabar, with discussions also centred on the political mobilisation of women ahead of the 2027 general election and support for the APC at both federal and state levels.
The gathering was characterised by dancing, celebrations and prayers for President Tinubu. One of the participants, expressing appreciation during the event, declared: “Mr President, thank you. God bless you. Cross River will vote for you and sweet Prince!”
Addressing the participants, Edu urged the women to sustain grassroots engagement in their respective communities by reaching out to neighbours, fellow traders and households to sensitise them on the APC’s political agenda ahead of the next election.
She specifically encouraged them to maintain contact with those they had mobilised and work towards securing support for the party across all levels of government.
“You must hand-hold every woman you have spoken to and ensure the vote for APC from top to bottom in the next election, please,” she told the participants.
Beyond the political mobilisation, the outreach also highlighted the economic challenges confronting petty traders and the importance of access to small-scale financial assistance in sustaining their businesses.
For the 500 beneficiaries, the ₦50,000 grants represent an opportunity to replenish their goods, improve their businesses and return to their respective stalls with additional working capital.
The organisers said the intervention was designed to support women at the grassroots, particularly those whose livelihoods depend on small-scale trading and daily commercial activities.
