The campaign for Hon. Stanley Odidiomo’s senatorial aspiration is gathering momentum every day, with the Director of Women Affairs, Princess Aderonke Adedoja (ARA), placing women’s inclusion at the heart of grassroots mobilisation. Through her sustained advocacy for gender equality and women’s participation, she is adding considerable value to the campaign’s mobilisation strategy.
Princess Aderonke Adedoja (ARA) has chosen to focus attention on impact-driven policies and issues that are often overlooked. Madeline Albright once observed that leadership involves “raising issues that are often overlooked by others and supporting ideas that others often oppose.” This aptly captures why her position in the campaign can not easily be relegated to the background.
From the commencement of the campaign, her enthusiasm for women’s development, particularly through the Odidiomo Support Group, which she proudly established to mobilise support for Hon. Stanley Odidiomo’s aspiration, has been unmistakable. She has consistently maintained that women’s underrepresentation in political calculations is a critical issue that deserves urgent attention. Consequently, she has continued to advocate their inclusion as a deliberate strategy for expanding the campaign’s reach across the wards of the Oyo South Senatorial District.
For a democracy to be genuinely inclusive, responsive, and transparent, women must not merely be counted as participants; they must also have their voices heard and their interests represented. In this regard, she has introduced women-driven programmes into the campaign, creating opportunities for greater participation and encouraging women to take ownership of the mobilisation process.
According to Princess Aderonke Adedoja, treating women as political underdogs in a campaign amounts to muffling a powerful voice that is indispensable to grassroots mobilisation. She considers women’s rights non-negotiable wherever she finds herself. Whenever she notices that a women’s group has been overlooked during an engagement, she does not hesitate to draw the organisers’ attention to the omission. Her familiar question, ” Awon eniyan mi nko?” (What about my people?) has become a defining expression of her commitment to ensuring that women are not left behind.
She consistently places women’s empowerment on the front burner, recognising its connection to economic productivity, the actualisation of developmental priorities, and the satisfaction of societal needs. Her position is that no meaningful development agenda can afford to treat women as peripheral stakeholders when they constitute a significant part of the productive and electoral population.
Her nomination as a director to coordinate women’s mobilisation was therefore informed by her background and record of engagement. Her experience in market women’s leadership mobilisation, her involvement in women-focused political mobilisation during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, and her extensive connections with women’s organisations, including faith-based groups, provide additional impetus to the campaign. She is a boon to the vessel to borrow from
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is a famous 1798 narrative poem by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Her assignment has consequently added another epaulette to her already well-decorated shoulders.
Beyond occupying a position, she encourages participation through practical examples, personal engagement, and relentless commitment. She is determined to create an environment in which women do not merely receive instructions but become active drivers of the mobilisation process, bringing their energy, passion, and organisational capacity to bear on the campaign.
When I asked her why she was investing so much energy in the assignment, her response was revealing:
“It’s high time we directed our attention to women, who are among the prime movers of our society and an important part of the electorate, yet often receive the short end of the stick. They deserve better recognition and should be given opportunities to determine their own destiny. Interestingly, this aligns with Hon. Stanley Odidiomo’s philosophy. He considers it compelling that we should work together to place women on the pedestal they deserve. I love working with him.”
Princess Aderonke Adedoja does not merely delegate responsibilities; she leads by example, demonstrating the kind of leadership that empowers others to take ownership of collective objectives. This recalls Nelson Mandela’s celebrated leadership philosophy of leading from behind and allowing others to take the front when appropriate. Her ability to communicate fluently in Hausa has also widened her engagement with Hausa-speaking communities, strengthening her interaction with different segments of the electorate and broadening the campaign’s grassroots connections. This makes her presence in every campaign invaluable.
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With Princess Aderonke Adedoja, the geographical boundaries of mobilisation have not constituted a limitation. She has traversed all nine local government areas that make up the Oyo South Senatorial District, engaging women and building networks of participation. She has now returned to her base in Ibadan South-West, where she intends to give the assignment the sustained
attention it requires.
It’s one day, one task. By God’s grace, she will resume her Ibarapa tour next week.
Ultimately, the extent to which women participate in political campaigns should not be measured merely by the number of women at rallies or the visibility of their groups. It should also be assessed by the opportunities they have to influence conversations, shape priorities, and participate meaningfully in political decision-making.
Princess Aderonke Adedoja’s activities within the Odidiomo campaign provide an interesting illustration of how women-focused mobilisation can become an integral part of grassroots political engagement. Her continued efforts will be watched as the campaign progresses towards the 2027 general election.
I wish her more power in her elbows.
