The rejection of the ministerial hopeful was contained in a petition written to President Bola Tinubu on Friday.
The members wrote in the petition, “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, which was made available to our correspondent, was also sent to 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, signed by nine women leaders from the six geopolitical zones, accused Betta of sidelining them and arranging some alleged fake women to see the president during a 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 Hadiza Shagari.
While requesting a separate courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, the women leaders further alleged that the former Cross River commissioner of health deliberately isolated them even during the electioneering campaign.
“Throughout the electioneering campaign, Dr. Betta Edu worked in isolation without synergy with her colleagues’ National Women officials of the party and the Zonal Women leaders. We individually devised means and strategies to galvanise and mobilise support for the party in our various states and traveled to almost all states campaigning with Mr. President with our personal funds and resources because we are highly committed to the Renewed Hope project and which we are glad to be part of the success story of today.
“We want Mr. President to know that most women paraded by Dr. Betta Edu were mostly fake. Authentic and democratically elected national officers who are even National Executive Council Members, all Zonal women leaders, the three women senators and fifteen female House of Representatives members, and a host of other relevant women leaders and stakeholders were replaced by fake women in the visit to the President.
“We hereby reject the leadership of Dr. Betta Edu and unanimously pass a vote of no confidence on her and whatever she represents. We appeal to Mr. President to use his good office to grant audience to the Elected National Female Executives and Zonal Women Leaders of our great party for inclusiveness,” the letter stated.
However, reacting to the allegation, Edu disowned the APC zonal women leaders, saying they are fake.
“They are not women leaders. Those people are frauds. I can tell you that the 36 states’ women leaders have written to disown them.
“The meeting they were talking about took place between the president and the 36 states’ women leaders. All of them were present at the meeting, except one. I don’t think any media should carry this stupid news. It is fraud. You know people are hustling left, right, and center.”
The APC national women leader also promised to send our reporter an official rebuttal to the allegation.
She is yet to send the rebuttal as of the time of filing this story.
