The Forum of APC Women with Disabilities has held an engagement with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, in what the group described as a positive and inclusive meeting.
The meeting was disclosed by Lois Auta, a wheelchair user and member of the forum, who said the group had a “great and inclusive conversation” with the APC National Chairman.
Auta, in a statement following the meeting, expressed appreciation to Professor Yilwatda for engaging with the women and providing an opportunity for dialogue.
The meeting comes days after APC Women with Disabilities Forum petitioned the party leadership over what it described as the exclusion and under-representation of women with disabilities in the APC 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.
In the August 22 petition signed by the North-Central Coordinator of the forum, Hon. Kyennan Mizim, the women expressed concern that while four men with disabilities were listed in the PWD mobilisation structure of the campaign council, no woman with a disability was represented.
The forum argued that women with disabilities had made significant contributions to the party’s mobilisation, campaigns and electoral activities and therefore deserved meaningful representation in the strategic campaign structure.
The group called for a review of the campaign council list and the inclusion of qualified women with disabilities in leadership positions, while also urging the APC to strengthen opportunities for women with disabilities to participate in party structures and campaign activities.
The forum had also raised concerns over the inclusion of Misbahu Lawan Didi, alleging that he was no longer an APC member at the time of the campaign council announcement. Didi has since publicly announced his resignation from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and his decision to rejoin the APC.
The latest meeting with the APC National Chairman is therefore significant as it provides an opportunity for direct engagement between the party leadership and women with disabilities following their concerns over representation.
The development also comes amid wider debate over the composition of the PWD mobilisation structure of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, which comprises Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa as Director, Barrister Ayuba Gufwan as Deputy Director, Hon. Tolu Bankole as Secretary I and Misbahu Lawan Didi as Secretary II.
While the forum’s earlier petition focused particularly on the representation of women with disabilities, broader concerns have also emerged over the diversity of disability representation within the four-member structure.
Following the meeting, Auta described the engagement as a positive development, expressing gratitude to Professor Yilwatda and calling for continued inclusive dialogue between the APC leadership and women with disabilities.
The engagement is expected to provide a platform for further discussions on the concerns raised by the women and the broader demand for meaningful participation of women with disabilities in the APC’s political structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Join Inclusive News Network WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.