Tinubu's daughter launches market women movement, targets 10m votes for APC in 2027

President Bola Tinubu's daughter and Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Dr Mujidat Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, has launched a political movement aimed at delivering 10 million votes for her father and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election.

The Iyaloja General Movement for Renewed Hope Initiatives was inaugurated on Thursday at Eagle Square in Abuja, with market leaders and supporters from across the country in attendance.

Tinubu-Ojo said the group has coordinators at state, local government and ward levels, and that its main job is to sensitise traders and informal-sector workers ahead of the election.

"What we are putting together as market leaders is to encourage our people and sensitise them on the next election — on which direction they should follow," she said.

She described market women and men as a powerful voting bloc that politicians cannot afford to ignore, given their presence in communities nationwide.

Subsidy removal and the cost of reforms

Tinubu-Ojo used the event to defend the government's economic policies, including the removal of the petrol subsidy, which has pushed up fuel and transport costs for ordinary Nigerians.

She acknowledged the hardship but argued the long-term gains would justify it.

"The policies are painful, but the end result will justify the means," she said, comparing the current period to a pregnant woman going through labour.

According to her, the extra revenue from the subsidy removal has helped the three tiers of government fund projects and pay workers' salaries on time. She urged voters not to back any candidate promising to bring the subsidy back.

The Nation reported that she specifically warned against supporting Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, saying a change of government would set the country back. Vanguard and Tribune did not name the two opposition figures in their reports.

The movement's Director-General, Dr Nasiru Ladan, said more than 2,500 support groups have already joined. He said the plan is to deploy 10 facilitators to each polling unit, with each expected to mobilise 100 voters.

Ladan did not explain how the 10 million vote target would be measured or independently verified.

The Lagos State Director-General of the movement, Barrister Adejumbo Omofumilewa, called the inauguration a mini-rally for Tinubu. He said the APC has fixed the problems that cost it Lagos in the 2023 presidential election, adding: "Obi is not a threat, nor is any party a threat in Lagos State."

What happens next

The launch adds to a growing wave of support groups positioning for 2027, even though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not opened the formal campaign period. For traders, the movement's promise of timely salaries and infrastructure is the argument they will weigh against the higher fuel and food prices many still face.