23/06/2026
It was a sad day in Benue following the eventful and highly celebrated visit of the Wife of the President, Senator Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu.
Following the visit, what should have remained a massive show of love and support for Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormen Alia was hijacked by mischievous elements within the opposition who seized the moment and ran with a parallel narrative carefully crafted to suit their objective of discrediting the governor, his efforts, policies, and decisions.
These elements questioned the rationale behind having a Coordinator for the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria in Benue, despite the fact that such arrangements have long taken root in several states where women, under particular circumstances, undertake those roles despite not being wives of governors, coordinating and overseeing activities linked to the Office of the First Lady and the Renewed Hope Initiative based on the discretion of the governor or prevailing circumstances.
The opposition, obviously acting from a position of mischief and deliberate distortion, refused to acknowledge that the Renewed Hope Programme is a nationwide initiative under the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria. Across the federation, its implementation and coordination are carried out through structures put in place at the state level, with coordinators selected according to the realities and peculiarities of each state.
Following the visit, these opposition elements pretended ignorance of this fact and went to town with a narrative designed to score cheap political points. They launched suggestive, malicious, and even scandalous attacks against the Coordinator, Mrs. Scholastica Ben-Sor, who, before now, served as Special Adviser on Women Affairs and has operated from the coordinating office, carrying out numerous projects and interventions in Benue on behalf of the First Lady's programmes.
The mischief-makers came armed with various damaging narratives, all targeted at attacking the person and office of Mrs. Ben-Sor. But even that is not what painted the day black for many women in Benue.
What has made the situation truly saddening is that, in the midst of these relentless attacks, the APC Woman Leader, Mrs. Helen Agaibe, who should ordinarily be the first voice to rise in defence of women under her watch, has maintained a shocking silence that has left many party faithful bewildered.
The office of the Woman Leader goes beyond gathering women together for political activities. It extends to standing up for the women she leads whenever they are unfairly targeted, misrepresented, or subjected to public attacks. That is not what we have witnessed, and it is deeply disappointing.
Then there is the other group many expected to wade into the matter and calm the fears and anxieties of women actively championing the cause of women in government — the female appointees of this administration. Many followers looked towards them for leadership and reassurance. Unfortunately, that expectation has so far been met with silence.
This is not healthy leadership.
The APC Woman Leader must understand that she is not merely leading women to political meetings; she is leading women into the confidence and presence of the governor. That responsibility demands that she rises to the occasion whenever women under her constituency are subjected to unfair attacks and bad press orchestrated by mischievous elements of the opposition.
The women's groups and their leaders may choose to see these attacks as slaps directed at individuals. That would be a mistake. The more accurate picture is to see a slap on the face of one woman in such circumstances as a slap on the faces of all women.
That is why the women's groups ought to rise. That is why their leaders ought to speak. And that is why this silence has become so difficult to understand.
That is also why I am speaking out.
Signed
Hon Mrs Jane Atsegha.
(Convener,
Alia Generation women & women leader, All
Benue State support groups)@
