Women community leaders from Ikwuano and Umuahia have declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, pledging to intensify grassroots mobilisation across Abia Central Senatorial District.
The declaration was made during the 2026 summit of the Ikwuano/Umuahia Women Community Leaders in Umuahia, where participants discussed women’s participation and influence in the evolving political landscape of the district.
In a communiqué signed by women clan heads from Ikwuano and Umuahia, the group pledged support for President Tinubu, APC Abia Central Senatorial candidate Rt. Hon. Emeka Atuma, Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency candidate Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji, APC governorship candidate Chief Eric Opah and other candidates of the party.
Speaking at the summit, Coordinator of the association, Hon. Lady Chinyere Ehilegbu, said the gathering, themed “The Place of Ikwuano/Umuahia Women in the Emerging Political Scenario in Abia Central Senatorial District,” was organised to strengthen women’s political participation and coordinate their involvement ahead of the elections.
Ehilegbu said the association was established to unite women across Ikwuano and Umuahia, strengthen their collective voice and increase their participation in political and community affairs.
She added that the organisation would continue to advocate greater inclusion of women in governance and ensure that issues affecting women and their communities receive adequate attention.
Declaring the purpose of the summit, former Abia State Head of Service, Lady Joy Maduka, described politics as fundamentally about representation, participation, inclusion and development.
Maduka said women constitute an important voting bloc and play a significant role in grassroots mobilisation through markets, churches, community development unions, cooperative societies, professional organisations and family networks.
She argued that inadequate participation of women in politics could weaken grassroots mobilisation and leave gaps in community representation, urging women to seek elective and appointive positions and build stronger political networks.
Maduka also highlighted initiatives of the Tinubu administration which she said had benefited or could benefit the South-East, including the establishment of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC). President Tinubu signed the legislation establishing the commission in July 2024, with its mandate covering infrastructure reconstruction, ecological challenges and broader development issues in the five South-East states.
She also urged women to promote peaceful participation in the 2027 electoral process.
In separate remarks, Lady Chinyere Ibe, Mrs. Chibuzo Akomas and Lolo Charity Igbe pledged to mobilise women for Atuma and Orji, citing what they described as the candidates’ records in previous public offices as a basis for their support.
The women also expressed preferences regarding the zoning of elective positions within Abia Central, arguing that the Ngwa bloc should produce the governorship candidate while Ikwuano/Umuahia retains the senatorial position. They further advocated that the Ibeku community should produce the next representative for Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency.
Responding to the endorsement, Atuma thanked the women for their support and said his previous experience at the federal level would guide his approach if elected to the Senate.
He referred to projects and interventions associated with his earlier tenure in the House of Representatives, including engagements involving the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, and pledged to pursue further development opportunities for the constituency.
Atuma also said employment would be a major component of his youth agenda, stressing that he would prioritise efforts to connect qualified young people with sustainable federal employment opportunities rather than relying solely on temporary empowerment programmes.
The APC candidate for Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji, similarly thanked the women for their support and pointed to his years in the Abia State House of Assembly as experience he intends to bring to federal representation if elected.
APC governorship candidate Chief Eric Opah also welcomed the women’s declaration, saying their participation was important to the party’s mobilisation efforts.
Opah pledged an inclusive administration in which women would have a significant role, while identifying accountability, transparency and economic development among the areas he intends to prioritise if elected.
He also promised to review issues surrounding taxation and workers’ welfare in the state and said claims of government performance should be matched by verifiable results.
While expressing confidence in the APC’s organisation in Abia, Opah acknowledged that the ultimate decision in the 2027 elections rests with the electorate.
Earlier, Director-General of the Emeka Atuma for Senate Campaign Organisation and chairman of the occasion, Hon. Chidi Nwosu, commended the women for their organisation, resilience and participation in the political process.
The summit comes as political parties and candidates intensify consultations and grassroots mobilisation across Abia State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
