Women leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State have begun an early grassroots mobilisation campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the inauguration of the Tinubu Torchbearers (TTB), a women-led support group established to rally support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Caleb Mutfwang and other APC candidates.
The initiative, inaugurated in Jos, drew representatives from all 17 local government areas of Plateau State, signalling the party’s move to establish a broad-based women’s mobilisation structure ahead of the elections.
The organisers tasked the newly inaugurated members with taking the APC’s message and information on government programmes and interventions to communities across the state.
Speaking on behalf of Governor Mutfwang, Deputy Governor Hon. Josephine Piyo urged the Torchbearers to see their role as more than a political assignment, saying the initiative should promote meaningful engagement with citizens and contribute to community development.
Piyo said political participation must be tied to service and responsibility, stressing that the ultimate objective of political power should be improving the lives of citizens.
“The ultimate purpose of politics must not be the pursuit of power for its own sake, but the deployment of power to improve lives, create opportunities, strengthen institutions, and build a more prosperous and secure society.”
She urged the women to take their activities to the communities by engaging residents, empowering young people and supporting vulnerable groups.
“To the Torchbearers, I challenge you to let your torch shine beyond political launches and ceremonies. Let it shine through service to humanity, community engagement, youth empowerment, support for vulnerable people, and advocacy for peaceful coexistence,” she said.
The Deputy Governor also called on the women to listen to the concerns of residents and promote peaceful democratic participation while rejecting violence, hate speech, misinformation and divisive politics.
Plateau APC Chairman, Hon. Rufus Bature, on his part, urged the Torchbearers to intensify mobilisation at the grassroots and work towards the success of the party’s candidates in 2027.
Bature said the APC was determined to consolidate its political gains in the state and called on members to remain committed to the party.
“We must work very hard. It is not yet over. We must work very hard because of the gains that we have made,” he said.
He specifically urged members to support Tinubu, Mutfwang and other APC candidates, declaring that the party had no alternative political platform to pursue.
“We do not have any island to go to. We will build APC and work for APC from bottom to top, and top to bottom. We do not have an excuse to talk about any other thing. There is no middle ground to that. It is either you are APC or you are not APC,” Bature said.
While acknowledging the economic challenges facing Nigerians, the APC chairman compared the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms to a painful medical procedure that would eventually yield positive outcomes.
The APC North Central Women Leader, Dr. Esther Samuel Alu, described the Tinubu Torchbearers as a support structure operating under the office of the APC National Women Leader.
According to Alu, the group was created to strengthen the party’s connection with women at the grassroots and work alongside the Plateau State Women Leader.
She explained that the Torchbearers would mobilise women in communities and help bridge the gap between the APC leadership and the electorate.
“The TTB is not here to undermine the power of the office of the State Women Leader. It is to work with the Women Leader and, if possible, when you receive instructions from the office of the state, mobilise women at the grassroots, bridge the gap between the party and the grassroots, and gain support for President Tinubu, Governor Caleb Mutfwang, all the senators, all the members of the House of Representatives, the House of Assembly and all our candidates in Plateau State and Nigeria at large.”
Alu said women remained a major force in elections, urging them to become more actively involved in political activities.
The First Lady of Plateau State and State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative, Barr. Helen Mutfwang, also charged the Torchbearers to take information about government programmes to communities.
She said the group had an important role in mobilising residents and drawing attention to interventions targeting women, vulnerable persons and people living with disabilities.
“The torch has been lit, but the work continues. The only way to protect these gains and sustain them is to go back to our communities and mobilise,” Mutfwang said.
She urged the women to return to their communities and explain the government’s programmes to residents while sensitising them ahead of the elections.
“Speak with one voice for the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Caleb Mutfwang,” she added.
Also speaking, Chairperson of the Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, Olivia Dayzem, and Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Caroline Dafur, commended the state leadership for supporting the initiative.
They urged women across the 17 local government areas to take information about government interventions to their communities and play an active role in the mobilisation of support for APC candidates ahead of 2027.
The inauguration marks an early attempt by the APC women’s structure in Plateau to build a statewide grassroots network, with women positioned as key actors in the party’s mobilisation strategy for the 2027 elections.
