The Women Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Betta Edu, is currently under fire from some netizens after a video of her doling out United States of America dollar notes to some women believed to be her staff hit social media.
The trending video shows someone named ‘Vicky’ displaying her share contained in a white envelope and thanking the women leader for her generosity.
Speculations are rife that Edu is lobbying for the position of Minister of Women Affairs.
Netizens are querying the source of the dollars being dispensed to her staff at a time that many Nigerians are wallowing in poverty.
Edu has been in the news in the last few hours following her rejection by some of the women she is supposed to be leading.
Some APC members under the aegis of ‘Elected Female National APC Officers and Zonal Women Leaders’ accused Edu of abusing her office and passed a ‘vote of no confidence’ on her.
The women wrote a petition to President Bola Tinubu against the ministerial hopeful on Friday.
In the letter, they said: “Without deviating from the essence of this subject, it is pertinent we express our total displeasure and concern over the misrepresentation and self-aggrandisement of the National Woman leader, Dr. Beta Edu during her visit to the Presidential Villa on the 13th of July, 2023.
“We wish to state categorically and in strong terms that her visit to the Presidential Villa was a misrepresentation as she in no way represent the elected National Women Officials and Zonal Women Leaders of the party as against the news making the rounds.
“We were totally unaware of her presidential visit and no due information nor notification were given to us the women she claimed to represent during her visit. It is disheartening that Dr. Beta Edu could label her visit to Mr President to be the representation of National Stakeholders and Zonal Women leaders even without them knowing and not in attendance during the visit.
“It is worrisome that at this infancy stage of the administration of President Bola Tinubu which needs all hands to be on deck that the women leadership of the party is already experiencing division and seclusion in representation which has been the pattern of the National Woman Leader Beta Edu since her emergence. It is in strong terms that we reject her leadership because she has failed in managing the affairs of the women in the party.”
A copy of the letter was also sent to the National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore; Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; office of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, all APC governor’s wives and zonal Vice-chairmen of the party.
The petition was signed by nine women leaders from the six geopolitical zones of the country. They accused Edu of sidelining them and arranging some alleged fake women to see the president during her courtesy visit.
The women leaders who signed the petition included APC Deputy National Treasurer, Omorede Osifo; National Ex-Officio (South-West), Olubunmi Oriniowo; National Ex-Officio (North-Central), Oluwatoyin Opawoye; Zonal Women leader (North Central), Princess Zahra Audu; Zonal Women leader (South-West), Mrs Yetunde Adesanya and Zonal Women leader (South-East), Mimi Diyiokeh.
Others were the Zonal Women leader (North East), Zainab Alman; Zonal Women leader (South-South), Mrs. Cynthia Princewill; Zonal Women leader (North-West), Hajia Had
In reaction to the petition, a statement by another faction of the women she leads has expressed support for Edu.
The statement claims that 36 State Women Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) including that of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have passed a vote of confidence Dr. Edu.
They described Edu’s leadership as exceptional, inclusive and responsive, saying she was steering the ship of women’s emancipation in the country effectively.
The statement endorsed by the women leaders’ forum appealed to all APC women to remain calm and be rest assured that their interests were well represented.
It said: “We understand their desire and anxiety to meet with Mr. President and we assure them that the President will also be very happy to meet with them all.
“He runs an open-door policy.
“However, the engagements will happen in batches, and more women will be involved.
“Let’s be patient and be rest assured that the request presented by the National Woman Leader and the women from the 36 states of the federation, as well as the FCT, covered the interests of all Nigerian women and APC women in particular, who worked so hard for his victory in the last elections.
Watch the viral video of the dollar gifts here.
