BETTY ANYANWU-AKEREDOLU (ADA OWERE): LET’S GIVE A WOMAN A CHANCE TO REPRESENT OW.FED. CONSTITUENCY

By Chinenye Chukwuma
(07031090085)

The conversation around who should represent Owerri Federal Constituency in 2027 has taken a new and important turn. It is no longer just about party or zoning. It is about capacity, compassion, and the courage to bring a different kind of leadership to the table. That is why the call for Dr. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, popularly known as (Ada Owere 1) by her title name, is receiving a clarion call to take up the mantle of leadership for quality and productive representation.

The push for quality service delivery from Ada Owere deserves all the serious attention it is getting from all stakeholders in Owerri North, Owerri Municipal, and Owerri West because of her experience, compassionate heart and sterling leadership qualities.

Her record as former First Lady of Ondo State is not in dispute. That office, though not constitutional, became a platform for impact under her watch. She did not use the position as a title for pageantry. She used it to build institutions, to advocate for women, to push for health reforms, and to speak truth to power. That experience is rare, and Owerri Federal Constituency can benefit directly from it.

Leadership is about exposure and relationships. Over the years, Ada Owere has built a wide network of friends, associates, development partners, and policy makers across Nigeria and beyond. These are not just names on a list. They are people who have worked with her on health, education, agriculture, youth and women empowerment projects. That network can be converted into boreholes, scholarships, skill centers, and federal projects for our markets and communities.

We must also remember what the title “Ada Owere” means in our culture. It is not just a ceremonial name. It is a covenant. It means daughter of the soil who must remember her people. It means responsibility. For the first time in a long while, we have a daughter of Owerri who has seen governance at the highest level in another state and is now willing to bring that experience home.

The argument that “she was First Lady elsewhere, not here” misses the point. Public service is transferable. The lessons of managing large programs, of attracting partners, of negotiating budgets, and of standing firm on policy do not expire at a state boundary. What matters is the will to deploy that knowledge for the people who gave you your name and your foundation.

One of the greatest benefits of giving a woman a chance to lead Owerri Federal Constituency is the difference in approach to governance. Women leaders tend to prioritize people-centered projects. They ask different questions. Instead of just roads and contracts, they ask about maternal health, about school enrollment for the girl child, about markets that are safe and modern, about youth unemployment and how to solve it with skills, not just handouts.

Look at our markets and other trading centers, the economic lifeline of Owerri. Women dominate these spaces. Who better to understand their pain than a woman who has spent years advocating for market women, for access to credit, and for clean and secure trading environments?

Representation is not just about sitting in Abuja. It is about understanding the daily struggle of the trader, the student, and the artisan. As a mother she understands it better than other candidates.

Her good works in attending to women with breast cancer and providing medical solutions for them as a former first lady cannot be waved aside. Critics have decided to sweep this under the carpet but the good works are like a house built on a hill that cannot be hidden.

Another benefit is the signal it sends to our young girls. When they see Ada Owere on the ballot and possibly in the Green Chambers, it tells them that leadership is not a closed club. It tells them that a daughter of Owerri can rise, serve in another state, and still come back to serve her own. That kind of representation creates aspiration. It creates a pipeline of future leaders.

Critics will always be there. That is the nature of politics. But we must ask ourselves if the energy spent on dragging personalities can be better channeled. If the concern is about development, then let us test capacity. Let us put ideas on the table and compare records. Let us ask what networks can be brought in, what partnerships can be activated, and what new thinking can be introduced for Owerri Federal Constituency.

To those who are quick to dismiss her because of past political battles, we say this. Democracy thrives on second chances and on judging people by what they can deliver now. The experience of confrontation in politics often teaches resilience. It teaches how to navigate difficult spaces in Abuja and still bring results home. That is exactly the kind of toughness Owerri needs at the federal level.

The federal constituency needs a voice that is already known. A voice that can walk into rooms in Abuja and be recognized. A voice that does not need six months to learn the ropes. Ada Owere already has that recognition. She has the confidence that comes from having governed alongside a governor, from interfacing with federal ministries, and from running advocacy that changed laws.

We cannot continue to recycle the same template and expect a different result. Owerri Federal Constituency has potential that is largely untapped. We need someone who can attract women-focused grants, who can partner with NGOs on health outreaches, who can push for federal presence in our schools and hospitals, and who can mentor the next generation of leaders in the zone.

There is also the issue of unity. A woman leader often plays the role of a bridge builder. She listens more. She consults more. She is able to bring different factions to one table because the focus is on results, not ego. In a constituency as diverse and politically active as Owerri, that temperament is an asset, not a weakness.

To the youth, this is your chance to demand a new kind of politics. Politics that is not just about slogans but about measurable impact. Ask for a leadership that will publish what it attracts, that will hold town halls, that will run an open constituency office. Ada Owere has shown in the past that she is not afraid of public scrutiny. That culture should be encouraged.

To our elders and community leaders, we appeal to you. Let us not allow sentiment or old grudges to blind us to opportunity. The question should not be “why her?” The question should be “what can she bring?” And from the evidence of her years of service, the answer is experience, visibility, and a network that can be leveraged for the good of Owerri.

Importantly, Dr. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu is contesting to represent Owerri Federal Constituency under the Labour Party. Her decision to run on the platform of Labour Party aligns with her long-standing advocacy for the masses, accountability, and people-centered governance. The party’s ideology of prioritizing workers, women, youths, and the vulnerable resonates with her track record of service. With Labour Party’s growing acceptance across the Southeast, her candidacy offers Owerri Federal Constituency a credible alternative rooted in competence and fresh ideas.

To the critics, we say channel your energy to positive support. Criticism is healthy when it is constructive. But tearing down without offering alternatives only keeps us in a cycle. If you have a better plan present it to her, it can be adopted for the betterment of Owerri Federal Constituency. Those desperate to pull her down should heed this passionate appeal and not stand in the way of a woman who is ready to serve simply because she is a woman.

In the end, 2027 will be about trust. Trust that the person we send to Abuja will remember Owerri. Trust that they will fight for our markets, our schools, and our young people. Trust that they will use every connection they have for the benefit of the constituency. Ada Owere represents that possibility.

Let us give a woman a chance. Let us give Owerri Federal Constituency a chance to try new leadership with old wisdom, federal exposure, and local roots. The time has come to move beyond talk and to elect capacity.