…Joke Silva, Mercy Johnson, 29 Nollywood artistes enlisted
The ruling All Progressives Congress on Independence Day announced the composition of women campaign train with First Lady, Aisha Buhari; Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Hajiya Nana, wife of vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, leading the pack.
The campaign list, which contained names of 944 high-profile women and wives of prominent APC politicians, was released in the wee hours of Saturday by the campaign media admin, Rinsola Abiola, who is also the daughter of late Chief MKO Abiola.
In the list tagged ‘Tinubu-Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Team,’ Aisha was appointed as Grand Patron, Tinubu, a three-term senator emerged as Chairman; Nana was made Co-Chairman while Lauretta Onochie, Personal Assistant on Social Media to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), also made the campaign train as Deputy National Co-ordinator.
In the category of zonal leaders, Dr Zainab Baugudu, wife of Kebbi State governor will coordinate the NorthWest; wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo–Olu leads South West; First Lady of Borno State, Falmata Zulum will be in charge of the North East.
In a similar vein, Olufolake Abdulrazaq, the first lady of Kwara State, will coordinate efforts in the North-Central and Mrs. Sanwoolu, wife of the Lagos State governor, will superintend over the South-West.
While Imo State First Lady, Chioma Ikeaka-Uzodinma will organise South-East campaign; her counterpart in Cross River, Linda Ayade, will oversee activities in the South-South.
The statement partly read, “The Tinubu/Shettima 2023 Women Presidential Campaign Team is pleased to announce the release of the composition of its various committees for the 2023 presidential campaign.
“While we congratulate the appointees, they are advised to collect their letters of appointment at the Tinubu/Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Office at No 2 Kainji Crescent, off Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama, Abuja on 3rd October 2022 by 10am.”
The statement further indicated that wives of APC Governors will serve as coordinators in their respective states while high-profile party women leaders will head campaign activities in non-APC-controlled States.
In the 70-page campaign document, no fewer than 33 Nollywood and Kannywood actors were enlisted for entertainment.
They included veteran thespians such as the inimitable Joke Silva who chairs the category, Fausat Balogun, Remi Oshodi, Mercy Johnson, Rose Odika, Sola Kosoko, Lanre Hassan (Iya Awero) Hajiya Nas, Lizzy Jay (Omo Ibadan), Princess Kalihat Bello among others.
The development is coming on the heels of the unveiling of the contentious APC Presidential Campaign Council list.
Tinubu had last Friday unveiled a 422-man committee comprising political heavyweights and other notable members to pilot the various sub-committees of the campaign council.
The list of members released by Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke, in Abuja, followed a series of postponements and conjectures about those who would be saddled with the task of leading the ruling party’s bid to retain power at the federal level.
The campaign council chaired by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has Tinubu and the APC National Chairman, Adamu, as co-deputy chairman.
