Women of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State on Thursday held a special prayer session for the peace, security and progress of Abia State and Nigeria, while also distributing wrappers to more than 200 widows as part of an empowerment initiative.
The event, which took place at the APC State Secretariat in Umuahia, brought together women from different parts of the state who offered prayers for the nation, the leadership of the party, women entrepreneurs, professionals and widows.
Speaking during the programme, the Abia State APC Woman Leader, Lady Cecilia Erondu, expressed appreciation to the women for their support and participation. She described the gathering as the first major prayer programme organized under her leadership and noted that the widows’ empowerment initiative was aimed at providing support and demonstrating love to vulnerable women in the society.
In her address, the South-East APC Zonal Woman Leader, Dr Mrs Obia Aji, said the widows’ outreach was in line with directives from the national leadership and formed part of efforts to provide support for widows across the country. She commended the Abia State Woman Leader for successfully organizing the programme and encouraged her not to be discouraged in her efforts to advance the welfare of women in the party.
Dr Aji also conveyed assurances of support for women from the leadership of the party and the office of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and urged women to remain committed to the APC and support the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressing confidence that the government would continue to deliver developmental projects and policies that would benefit Nigerians, particularly women and residents of the South-East region.
She further called for prayers for the nation’s security challenges, expressing optimism that peace and stability would prevail across the country, while expressing optimism that the school children alongside their teachers who were abducted in Oyo state would be rescued safely.
The Zonal Woman Leader also criticized what she described as the politicization of security matters and cautioned against the spread of misinformation on social media, while dismissing reports of an alleged school kidnapping incident in Enugu State.
In his goodwill message, the APC candidate for Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency, Chief Uzor Azubuike, praised Lady Erondu for initiating the empowerment programme despite spending less than two months in office. He described the gesture as a demonstration of commitment to the welfare of women and widows in the state and emphasized the importance of collective participation in party activities.
In an interview , the Abia State Woman Leader, Lady Erondu assured women in the state that more opportunities and empowerment programmes would be introduced in the future, stressing that the welfare of women remains a priority under her leadership and enjoined members to remain united and committed to the growth of the APC in the state.
The programme climaxed with the distribution of over 200 wrappers to widows drawn from the 17 Local Government Areas of Abia State.
Beneficiaries, however, expressed appreciation for the gesture, while pledging their unflinching support to the party.
