2027: Betta Edu Seeks 1.5 Million Cross River Votes for Tinubu, Reaches 500 Women With Empowerment Package

Dr Betta Edu, former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, has expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will secure more than 1.5 million votes from Cross River State for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

Edu, Co-Chairman of the APC Women Mobilisation Directorate, made the declaration on Sunday in Calabar during an empowerment exercise involving approximately 500 market women, petty traders and artisans.

She said the programme, initiated at the instance of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, was intended to strengthen women’s financial independence and expand the ruling party’s grassroots mobilisation efforts.

The beneficiaries reportedly received N50,000 each, in addition to business and household appliances such as deep freezers, blenders and toasters.

Explaining the motivation behind the intervention, Edu said many petty traders operated with very little capital, limiting their ability to grow their businesses and support their families.

“Some of them are selling trays that have just N5,000 worth of things on them, while some of them have trays with just N10,000 worth of items on them.

“So we are giving these sets of petty traders N50,000 each so that they can expand that their business, build on it, so things can get better for them and their children,” she said.

She appealed to the people of Cross River to rally behind Tinubu, Governor Bassey Otu and other APC candidates, stressing that the party was counting on women at the grassroots to strengthen its chances at the polls.

According to Edu, the Women Mobilisation Directorate is already developing support networks across the country to ensure wider participation and political engagement among women.

She further announced plans to extend the empowerment programme to additional communities in Cross River. Abi Local Government Area is scheduled to benefit in November or December, while the northern senatorial district is expected to receive the intervention in January.

Edu also referenced several Federal Government initiatives, including the student loan scheme and free maternal healthcare, as examples of programmes introduced to improve citizens’ living conditions.

In another engagement ahead of the APC rally scheduled for Monday in Calabar, the former minister led members of the directorate to the General Hospital, Calabar.

During the visit, the delegation interacted with patients, expectant mothers and children undergoing treatment, offering financial assistance and emotional encouragement.

Edu said the hospital outreach was carried out at the request of the First Lady as part of activities leading up to the party’s rally.

She also mentioned subsidised dialysis services and free maternal healthcare among government efforts to make healthcare more accessible and reduce maternal deaths.

Meanwhile, Esther Bassey, a widow from Odukpani Local Government Area and one of the empowerment beneficiaries, thanked the organisers for the support.

Bassey said earlier empowerment programmes had helped her meet the needs of her three children.

She also declared her intention to support the APC in the 2027 elections, promising that her family would vote for the party.

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