Ada Owere urges Labour Party women leaders to embrace issue-based politics, strengthen grassroots participation and build a new generation of female leaders
Owerri, Imo State — September 22, 2026
Dr. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the Labour Party candidate for the House of Representatives representing Owerri Federal Constituency, popularly addressed as Ada Owere, has called on women across the constituency to move beyond traditional political participation and take a more active role in shaping governance and public policy.
Speaking at the Ada Owere Meets Labour Party LGA and Ward Women Leaders meeting in Owerri, Anyanwu-Akeredolu said women must see political leadership not merely as a position or title, but as a responsibility to understand, represent and advocate for the needs of their communities.
She challenged the women leaders to move away from what she described as a transactional approach to politics, where political participation is often measured by immediate material benefits such as money, rice or clothing.
According to her, women have a greater role to play in determining the quality of governance and the direction of their communities.
“We Can Do Better”
Anyanwu-Akeredolu said political decisions have direct consequences on people’s everyday lives, from roads and healthcare to security, markets, education and opportunities for young people.
She therefore urged women to focus more on public service, accountability and development rather than short-term political benefits.
“If we are only interested in what we can collect during elections, we are missing the bigger picture. We are surrendering our future for temporary benefits,” she said.
She maintained that women possess the capacity to contribute meaningfully to political development and should not allow longstanding political structures to keep them at the margins of decision-making.
Women Must Claim Their Space
The former governor of Ondo State’s wife and Labour Party candidate noted that women remain underrepresented across various levels of political leadership, despite their significant contributions to society and the economy.
She identified culture, financial barriers, political structures, intimidation and violence among factors that can discourage women from participating fully in politics.
She also called for greater solidarity among women, noting that women must be willing to support other women seeking leadership positions.
Her message was emphatic: women must remain at the political table where decisions affecting their lives and communities are made.
“We have a portion at the table. If there is no chair for us, we will carry our chairs. If the table is already crowded, we will squeeze in. But we must not leave the political table,” she said.
Building the Next Generation of Female Leaders
Anyanwu-Akeredolu said her vision extends beyond her own political ambition, stressing the importance of creating a pipeline of women who will aspire to leadership at every level.
She urged women to consider contesting for councillorship, the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship and even the presidency.
“Leadership has no gender,” she declared, adding that every woman who breaks a barrier creates an opportunity and a role model for the next generation.
She said the objective should be to create a political environment where a young woman can look at another woman in leadership and confidently say, “If she can do it, I can do it.”
Women’s Issues Are Governance Issues
The Labour Party candidate also drew attention to the connection between women’s welfare and effective governance.
Using markets as an example, she noted that women constitute a significant proportion of traders and therefore bear the consequences when markets lack adequate sanitation, water, security, lighting, storage, waste management and other essential infrastructure.
She argued that modernising Owerri’s major markets should therefore be viewed not merely as an infrastructure project but as an investment in women’s economic empowerment, dignity and productivity.
“When you strengthen the woman, you strengthen the family. And when you strengthen families, you strengthen the community,” she said.
Why Ada Owere?
Turning to her campaign, Anyanwu-Akeredolu urged Labour Party women leaders to regard the Ada Owere campaign as a collective project rather than a personal political ambition.
She asked residents to critically examine the state of roads, markets, healthcare, youth opportunities, security and other aspects of life within Owerri Federal Constituency and determine whether existing representation has adequately addressed their needs.
She said her Ada Owere 8-Pillar Agenda provides a framework for what she described as practical constituency representation.
The agenda focuses on:
– Women and Girls
– Youth Opportunity through Empower2Become
– Healthcare and Social Protection
– Security and Peacebuilding
– Education and Human Capital Development
– Economic Empowerment and Infrastructure
– Equity and Inclusive Development
– Constituency Needs Assessment through the Windshield Survey
According to her, the Windshield Survey is intended to ensure that constituency priorities are identified through direct engagement with communities rather than assumptions made from outside the constituency.
“I don’t want to sit in Abuja and imagine what Owerri Federal Constituency needs. I want to see it. I want to listen. I want to engage communities. I want to identify needs and understand priorities,” she said.
The approach, she added, is captured in the campaign’s message:
“Ada Owere Listens.”
A Call to Grassroots Action
Anyanwu-Akeredolu told the women leaders that the campaign should now move beyond meetings and into the communities.
She urged them to engage residents directly—door to door, street to street, market to market and community to community.
Rather than simply asking people to vote for her, she encouraged the women leaders to explain the issues contained in the campaign agenda and, importantly, listen to residents’ concerns.
She urged them to ask women about the challenges affecting their businesses, young people about the opportunities they need and communities about problems that government has failed to address.
“Politics should not only be about talking to the people. It should be about listening to the people,” she said.
“This Is Bigger Than Ada Owere”
The Labour Party candidate stressed that her ultimate objective is to build a model of leadership whose impact will extend beyond one election or one individual.
She said she wants to build leadership that develops people, creates systems and inspires young women to pursue public office.
“If tomorrow another woman from Owerri Federal Constituency wants to contest for public office, I want her to find a political environment that is a little easier because we have opened the door,” she said.
She described this as the ripple effect of meaningful political participation.
Her Message to Women Leaders
Concluding her address, Anyanwu-Akeredolu challenged the women leaders to become active political participants rather than spectators or beneficiaries.
She urged them to know their wards, understand the challenges facing women, educate their communities, advocate for solutions and participate actively in the political process.
She said women cannot transform the political culture merely by complaining about it.
“We change it by becoming different participants in it,” she said.
She urged the women to take Ada Owere Listens and the 8-Pillar Agenda to their respective wards while promoting greater political participation among women.
Her closing message was a call for women to claim their place in political decision-making:
“We will carry our chairs. We will squeeze in. We will make room for ourselves. And when we finally sit at that table, we will not sit there merely to occupy a seat. We will sit there to work.”
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