JUST IN: 35-Year-Old Cross River Commissioner Emerges APC National Women Leader

The Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Ms Betta Edu, has emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Women Leader after a voting process on Sunday.

The 35-year-old defeated former Director-General of the National Center for Women Affairs, Mrs Helen Boco-Eta, who refused to step down for her as the party’s consensus candidate for the position.

Boco-Eta’s refusal had delayed the convention, making the National Women Leader the most contentious position.

Ms Mary Ekpere had stepped down in the early hours of Sunday in the Convention that began on Saturday.

All three women are from Cross River State, where the position was zoned to but Betta is from Calabar South like Boco-Eta while Ekpere comes from Cross River Central.

There’s confusion on whether Betta resigned from her position as health commissioner or not going into the convention. But she told THE WHISTLER “I resigned weeks ago.”

Speaking after the voting exercise, Betta said, “It’s victory for all women.

“APC is the biggest and strongest party in Africa and they have made history today. Because they have elected the youngest women leader in the history of political parties in Africa.

“It shows that APC is youth conscious. It shows that APC is ready to drive the change and even improve on what we have done in Nigeria.

“It shows that APC is ready to embrace both the old and the young using the bridge builder.

“We will create different programmes from the cooperatives” to improve women.