Angry traders, led by Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, on Thursday shutdown the APC secretariat to register their displeasure over the party’s failure to appoint “market women and men” in public offices.
Mrs. Tinubu, alongside over 100 other women, stormed the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, alleging that the women had been expunged from scheme of things as they were not included in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
She explained that market women all over the country were unhappy with the current government for not recognizing them as part of the society.
“I am here this afternoon to represent market women and men of Nigeria,” Mrs. Tinubu-Ojo said.
“There have been agitations, the people believed that the government of the day is not carrying them along as it should be and that they worked round the clock for the party during the electioneering campaign, but after the inauguration most of us are not carried along”, she added.
The market leader said what was more annoying to her group was that a new market association had sprung up in the federal capital and that members of the association belonged to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
She said, “We only hear on the news that the first lady is doing a programme, this and that, and we just see it on the news and they wouldn’t allow me to be. All the complaints come to my table morning and night and I say okay, enough is enough.
“We even heard that another FCT woman leader is organising another market association and named it Association of Organised Market People in Abuja and most of these people are PDP, they were nowhere to be found when we were working for the party day and night.
“So, now our people are not happy because they need to benefit from where they believe they have the right to and all we need, all we are crying for is for the government to give them sense of belonging and carry them along properly.”
Asked if her father, Tinubu, was aware of the agitation of the market men and women, she said it was immaterial because she had to represent her group well.
“Because, I am the daughter of the national leader of APC doesn’t mean that I must not represent my people well.
“I have to represent my people’s opinion. I am a leader and as a leader my people are crying foul and I won’t fold my hands and keep quiet because my father is a national leader, it is wrong.
“I am not mobilizing against the party, no. I am solidly behind the party. I have worked for the party before and I will still work for the party tomorrow, but that does not stop me from saying the truth.”
