First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has urged women leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to intensify grassroots mobilisation and build trust among supporters, saying political success depends on sustained engagement with the people.
During a meeting with APC women leaders from across the country, Senator Tinubu said politics is fundamentally about building support at the grassroots, earning trust and maintaining close ties with constituents.
“Politics is not about gender; it’s about number,” she said in a statement by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi.
“If you don’t connect with the grassroots, you can’t win their trust.”
The First Lady said women in politics must remain connected to the people who elected them, noting that her experience as a senator underscored the importance of consistent engagement with constituents.
She recalled holding quarterly town hall meetings throughout her eight years in the Senate, describing the initiative as a key tool for grassroots engagement.
“I connect with the grassroots. I am still the only woman on record who has ever done town hall meeting every quarter. I did that consecutively for good eight years,” she said.
Tinubu stressed that political office holders must continue relating with constituents after elections, warning that many politicians lose relevance when they abandon the people who supported them once they assume office.
“You have to connect with them. If I find it difficult to reach out to you as an office holder, how do you want your constituents to reach out to you?” she asked.
The First Lady also highlighted the role of trust in political organisation, saying supporters must feel valued and included.
“You have to build trust and connection. Once it’s not there, you can’t win,” she said.
She urged the APC women’s wing to continue strengthening its base through local engagement, voter education and sensitisation, describing political mobilisation as a deliberate and structured process.
“Politics is very, very sensitive,” she said.
“People come to our home even when we do invite them, but when they come, we treat them well, they are not trash.”
Senator Tinubu also advised women to balance public service with family responsibilities, stressing the importance of strong family values.
“You can do both. I’ve played politics for 12 good years and I still have a husband. Take care of your children, train them well,” she said.
“All this restlessness we are seeing around stems from the home. We have to make sure that our home is solid.”
Earlier, APC National Women Leader, Mary Alile Idele, commended the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative and said the APC women’s wing remains one of the strongest mobilisation networks in the country.
She said women leaders across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, local governments and wards have remained central to the party’s electoral success.
Idele added that the emergence of newly elected state and zonal women leaders reflects growing confidence in women’s leadership and further strengthens the party’s grassroots structure ahead of future contests.
The meeting ended with Senator Oluremi Tinubu handing over eight buses to APC women leaders from different zones of the country.
