Baiwa; A Pragmatic Political Pathfinder. – ABUBAKAR YUSUF.

The success story of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, cannot be divorced from the contributions of Hajia Salamatu Baiwa Umar-Eluma, the former National Woman Leader of the Party, who worked tirelessly to mobilise women and men towards the successes of the party before, during the 2019 elections and in recent times the 2023 general elections.

Outside her constitutional roles of coordinating and mobilising women who are members of the ruling party, she went out of her way to engage meaningfully on the need to support the All Progressives Congress, APC, at all times.

She introduced innovations and initiatives to women participation in politics from the grassroots, a template that saw the ruling party returning to power in 2019, and by extension in 2023.

As a grassroot politician, not only by nomenclature, but action and performance, she mobilized notable women in Kogi , by extension the North Central states, other regions in the country, using her previous linkages while in and out of office, that saw the Party coming out with a landslide victory across the country.

The efficacy in women participation in Nigeria’s politics revived by the immediate past National Woman Leader had worked greatly in woman participation and attracted more men into the business of politics.

Having criss crossed the entire country spanning the six geopolitical zones and the FCT, before , during and after the last general elections, Chief Salamatu Baiwa Umar-Eluma was justified through the landslide victory of the ruling APC that led to the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Shettima, along with some state governors, Federal lawmakers which included Senators and Members of the House of Representatives.

With grassroot experience and popularity, Baiwa had created engagement opportunity for Nigerians, her model of politics had singled her out as a political pathfinder of our time.

Having served diligently well on the platform of APC that won successive elections for three consecutive times, no doubt she remained a political pathfinder and assets to Nigeria’s political developments and evolution.

With the former APC National Woman Leader, the global clamour for women inclusion both in election and appointments was achieved during the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, having led a strong women delegation to the villa for consideration of women in political appointments.

A dedicated party woman who had remained in the ruling party, APC not minding any variables, her reforms in women participation in Nigeria’s politics had been a guide that had worked creditably well for her successors as National Women Leaders of All Progressives Congress APC in Nigeria.

With her zeal , courage and compassion, no doubt the women folk can favorably compete with their male counterparts in the area of performance, dedication to duty , promptness and ability to deliver on a given assignments.

She had nurtured women with a lot of potentials who can manage huge responsibility in line with the present realities, having achieved greatly before , during and after her stint as the National Woman Leader of APC.

Yusuf, Writes from Abuja and can be reached on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.