Oluremi Tinubu APC women meeting focuses on grassroots mobilisation, trust-building and political engagement ahead of future elections

First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has urged women leaders of the All Progressives Congress to prioritise grassroots mobilisation, trust-building and sustained engagement with constituents, saying political success is determined by numbers and strong community connections.

Also read: Oluremi Tinubu urges end to child marriage

Senator Tinubu made the call during a meeting with APC women leaders drawn from across the country, where she stressed the importance of maintaining close relationships with the electorate beyond election periods.

Addressing the gathering, the First Lady said politics is fundamentally about earning public trust and building a loyal support base at the grassroots level.

“Politics is not about gender; it’s about number,” she said.

“If you don’t connect with the grassroots, you can’t win their trust.”

The Oluremi Tinubu APC Women meeting focused on strengthening the party’s mobilisation structure ahead of future electoral contests.

Drawing from her experience as a former senator, Tinubu said regular engagement with constituents played a significant role in her political success.

“I connect with the grassroots. I am still the only woman on record who has ever done town hall meetings every quarter. I did that consecutively for a good eight years,” she said.

The First Lady cautioned political office holders against distancing themselves from the people after securing electoral victories, warning that such behaviour often weakens public confidence.

“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.

Tinubu also highlighted trust as a powerful factor in political organisation, noting that supporters must feel recognised, respected and valued.

According to her, long-term political relationships are built through consistent engagement rather than periodic campaign activities.

“You have to build trust and connection. Once it’s not there, you can’t win,” she said.

She encouraged the APC women’s wing to intensify local outreach programmes, voter education initiatives and community sensitisation efforts to strengthen the party’s grassroots presence nationwide.

The First Lady also emphasised the importance of balancing public service with family responsibilities, urging women in politics to maintain strong family values while pursuing leadership roles.

“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, praised the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative and described the party’s women’s wing as one of the most effective mobilisation structures in the country.

Idele said women leaders across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, local governments and wards had remained instrumental to the APC’s electoral achievements.

She added that the emergence of newly elected state and zonal women leaders reflected growing confidence in women’s leadership and would further strengthen the party’s grassroots network.

As a symbolic gesture at the end of the meeting, Senator Tinubu presented eight buses to APC women leaders representing different geopolitical zones, a move party officials said would support mobilisation and organisational activities at the grassroots level.