Northern Women Group Urges APC To Protect Dankaka’s Senatorial Mandate

A prominent Northern women’s socio-political organisation, Jam’iyyar Matan Arewa, has appealed to the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress to protect the senatorial mandate of Dr. Muheebah Dankaka for Kwara South Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a letter dated May 24, 2026 and addressed to the APC National Chairman in Abuja, the group described Dankaka as the only female senatorial candidate from Northern Nigeria to emerge victorious during the party’s primaries.

The letter, signed by the National President of the group, Hajiya Rabi Musa Saulawa, stated that out of the 109 senatorial seats nationwide, only three women secured APC senatorial tickets, with Dankaka emerging as the sole female candidate from the North.

According to the group, Dankaka’s victory reflected “the strong endorsement of the people” of Kwara South and symbolised renewed hope for greater female representation in the country’s political leadership.

The organisation warned that any attempt to undermine or substitute her candidacy could negatively affect the relationship between Northern women and the ruling party.

The letter partly read, “Any attempt to undermine or substitute her victory will be viewed by Northern women as a painful disregard for their loyalty, sacrifices, and contributions to the growth of the Party.”

The group also recalled its contributions to the APC’s electoral successes in the 2015, 2019 and 2023 general elections through grassroots mobilisation and voter education across the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.

It further urged the APC leadership to adopt policies that would encourage more competent Northern women to occupy elective and appointive positions, especially in the Senate and other strategic offices.

“We further urge the Party to adopt deliberate and sustained measures aimed at raising more competent Northern women for elective and appointive positions,” the letter added.

The group expressed confidence in the leadership of the APC National Working Committee to uphold what it described as the freely given mandate of Dr. Muheebah Dankaka by the people of Kwara South.

Oyo North Not for Imposition, APC Group Declares in Support of Dr. Gbenga Adegbola

The crisis surrounding the senatorial primary of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo North intensified on Sunday as a group, Oyo North APC Concerned Indigenes Demanding Justice, accused some party stakeholders of attempting to impose a candidate against the wishes of party members.

In a statement issued on May 24, the group insisted that Dr. Gbenga Adegbola emerged victorious in the Oyo North senatorial primary and should be recognised as the authentic candidate of the party for the district.

The statement, jointly signed by former Minority Leader of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Ajekiigbe David Akinwale Bada, and National Chairman of Egbe Ajosepo Fun Itesiwaju Gbogbo Wa, Engr. Olaifa Dauda Alade, warned against any alleged attempt to substitute Adegbola’s name.

According to the group, while candidates had emerged peacefully in Oyo South and Oyo Central Senatorial Districts, the situation in Oyo North had allegedly been complicated by “anti-democratic forces” seeking to influence the outcome of the exercise.

The group specifically alleged that individuals loyal to prominent APC chieftain, Zaccheus Adedeji, were working to overturn the outcome of the primary.

“We state clearly and without equivocation that Dr. Gbenga Adegbola won the Oyo North senatorial primary fair and square. His victory is the authentic expression of the will of our party members and the people of Oyo North,” the statement partly read.

The group called on the APC National Headquarters and the party’s National Working Committee to resist any alleged move to substitute the candidate, insisting that justice and fairness must prevail.

It also appealed to the Presidency to intervene and ensure adherence to democratic principles within the party.

“The same President who has repeatedly called for free, fair, and transparent primaries cannot have his own party subverting the process in his home zone by proxy,” the statement added.

The group further urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise only the candidate it described as the legitimate winner of the primary.

Warning of possible political consequences, the group said the APC risked losing Oyo North in the general election if the alleged injustice was not addressed promptly.

Efforts to obtain reactions from the APC leadership and other parties mentioned in the statement were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

APC Women Group Warns Against Substitution of Female Senatorial Candidates

ABUJA — A political advocacy group within the All Progressives Congress under the aegis of APC Kwara South Women and Democratic Justice Support Group has warned the party leadership against any alleged plot to substitute the names of the three female senatorial candidates who emerged from the party’s primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the group described any attempt to replace the candidates as “a direct assault on democracy, women inclusion, and the integrity of the APC primary process.”

The group noted that out of Nigeria’s 109 senatorial districts, only three women secured APC senatorial tickets, namely Dr. Muheebah Dankaka for Kwara South, Idiat Adekunle for Lagos West, and Ngozi Okeke-Chiedu for Anambra Central.

It described the figure as “a national embarrassment” for a party that claims to support gender inclusion.

“Three out of 109 is nothing to celebrate,” the statement read. “But for these three women, the people spoke clearly and decisively.”

The group alleged that there were growing rumours of substitution, political pressure, and backdoor arrangements aimed at removing the female candidates from the ballot.

It warned that such action would be fiercely resisted.

“If you cannot give Nigerian women more representation, do not dare take away the little they have won through legitimate democratic means,” the statement added.

Addressing the National Chairman of the APC and members of the National Working Committee, the group insisted that the mandates freely given to the candidates during the primaries must be protected.

The statement also appealed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu to intervene and ensure that no female candidate who emerged from the primaries would be substituted.

“You have both spoken publicly about the importance of women in governance. Nigerians are watching to see whether those commitments will translate into action,” the group stated.

The organisation particularly referenced the political experience of Dr. Muheebah Dankaka, recalling that she allegedly lost her 2019 opportunity under controversial circumstances shortly before the deadline for submission of candidates.

According to the statement, Dankaka campaigned extensively across the seven local government areas of Kwara South and earned overwhelming grassroots support, especially among women and rural communities.

“This mandate represents sweat, sacrifice, and the hopes of thousands of women who finally saw themselves represented,” the statement added.

The group warned that denying the women their tickets would damage public confidence in the APC’s internal democracy and discourage female participation in politics nationwide.

“Nigerian women are watching. Kwara South is watching. History is watching,” the statement concluded.