2027:2027: IDOMA’S AMAZONS TAKE ON THE MEN

• Female politicians battle for Presidency, governorship, National Assembly, state legislative seats
• Onuh, Ofie-Adoyi, Ikwue set for women-versus-women showdown in Otukpo/Ohimini
• Okwori eyes Presidency as Obetta joins Benue governorship race

As political parties settle down for the battle for elective positions in the 2027 general elections, a crop of Idoma women is seeking to alter the traditionally male-dominated political terrain of Nigeria, IDOMA VOICE reports.

From the presidential race to the governorship contest and battles for National and State Assembly seats, women who were once largely seen mobilising voters and providing support for male candidates are increasingly emerging as candidates themselves.

Among the prominent names in the unfolding contests are Ada Frederick Okwori, Juliana Obetta, Blessing Onyeche Onuh, Lilian Ofie-Adoyi, Emama Oyidu Ikwue, Aida Nath Ogwuche, Joy Okpainmo Ameh and Lami Danladi Ogenyi.

The women are entering the election from different political backgrounds. Some are incumbents seeking to retain their seats, while others are former elected officials attempting to return to political office. Others are making fresh bids for elective positions at different levels.

For Benue South, where men have historically occupied most elective positions, the number and profile of women entering the 2027 races have made female participation one of the interesting subplots of the coming elections.

But beyond the numbers, the individual stories of the women reveal different ambitions, political networks, party structures and electoral challenges.

Okwori takes Idoma women’s ambition to presidential level

Okwori

While most of the women in the Benue South political arena are seeking legislative seats, Ada Frederick Okwori is taking her ambition to the highest level.

Okwori is contesting the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Nigerian Democratic Party, NDP.

Her emergence adds a national dimension to the growing political participation of Idoma women, placing an Idoma female politician in a contest that traditionally attracts the country’s biggest political names.

Although the presidential race presents a significantly more difficult political terrain because of its national spread, Okwori’s candidacy gives the women’s political movement in Idoma land a visibility beyond Benue South.

Her challenge will be to transform the presidential ticket into a credible national campaign in a political environment dominated by major parties and well-funded political structures.

For the Idoma political space, however, her candidacy is significant in its symbolism: an Idoma woman is not merely seeking a legislative seat but is laying claim to the country’s highest elective office.

Obetta moves from council leadership to governorship

Obetta

Another prominent name in the unfolding political story is Juliana Obetta, former chairman of Okpokwu Local Government Area.

Obetta is joining the 2027 Benue governorship contest as a deputy governorship candidate of the Labour Party.

Her emergence gives the female political push another dimension, particularly because of her previous experience in grassroots administration.

Having served as a local government chairman, Obetta is not entering the political arena as a newcomer.

Her experience at the local government level could prove valuable in a state election where grassroots structures, local political relationships and mobilisation remain critical.

Her candidacy also means that an Idoma woman is occupying a position on a governorship ticket at a time when questions around inclusion and women’s representation are becoming increasingly prominent in political debates.

For Obetta, the challenge will be translating her experience and political network into support for the ticket across the state.

Onuh battles for third term 

One of the biggest names among the women is Blessing Onyeche Onuh, the incumbent member representing Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Onuh, daughter of former Senate President David Mark, first entered the House in 2019 and won re-election in 2023.

She has secured the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to return to the House in 2027, putting her in the race for a third consecutive term.

Her third-term ambition is, however, expected to be one of the major issues in the Otukpo/Ohimini election.

Beyond the usual partisan battle, the constituency is facing renewed debate over the rotation of the seat between Otukpo and Ohimini local government areas.

Onuh is from Otukpo, which has occupied the seat since 2019. Groups campaigning for rotation have argued that Ohimini should produce the representative in 2027.

The argument could become a major obstacle to the incumbent as she attempts to extend her stay in the National Assembly to 12 years.

But Onuh also has the advantage of incumbency, political experience and the machinery of the ruling APC behind her.

Lilian Adoyi emerges as major challenger

Lilian

Standing in Onuh’s way is another woman, Ambassador Lilian Ofie-Adoyi.

Ofie-Adoyi’s entry has turned the Otukpo/Ohimini contest into one of the most intriguing races in Benue South, with the possibility that major parties could have women leading the battle for the constituency.

Ofie-Adoyi had earlier declared her ambition for the seat, with the agitation for power to return to Ohimini forming a major part of the political conversation surrounding her aspiration.

She is being presented as the PDP candidate for the 2027 National Assembly election.

The Otukpo/Ohimini Equity Movement, while congratulating her on her nomination, has also renewed calls for the rotation arrangement between Otukpo and Ohimini to be respected.

Her candidacy sets up an unusual dimension to the election.

Rather than the conventional narrative of a female candidate attempting to dislodge an established male politician, the Otukpo/Ohimini contest could feature prominent women on opposing sides of the political divide.

Onuh will be campaigning on incumbency and her record in office, while Ofie-Adoyi is expected to benefit from the agitation for Ohimini to produce the next representative.

The contest could consequently become a referendum not only on the performances and personalities of the candidates but also on zoning, third-term politics and the influence of established political structures in the constituency.

Emama Ikwue joins the Otukpo/Ohimini battle

The growing female presence in the race for Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency does not end with Onuh and Ofie-Adoyi.

Hon. Emama Oyidu Ikwue is also in the contest on the platform of the Nigerian Democratic Party, NDP.

Ikwue has been active in the party’s activities ahead of the 2027 elections and has since intensified consultations for the Otukpo/Ohimini House of Representatives seat.

Her campaign has taken her to traditional and community leaders as she seeks support for her aspiration.

Her emergence adds another dimension to a constituency already facing intense arguments over zoning, incumbency and the third-term ambition of Onuh.

The development means that three women could be among the leading contenders for the same National Assembly seat.

That makes Otukpo/Ohimini one of the clearest examples of the changing political role of women in Idoma land.

Here, the political battle will not simply be women against men. It could be woman against woman, with Onuh, Ofie-Adoyi and Ikwue seeking to convince voters that they deserve the mandate.

For Ikwue, the major challenge will be building a political structure capable of competing with the established APC and PDP machines.

Aida Nath Ogwuche returns to Enone battlefield

In Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, popularly known as Enone, Aida Nath Ogwuche is again in the political trenches.

Ogwuche is no stranger to the battle for the constituency.

Her attempt to contest the House of Representatives election in 2023 became the subject of a prolonged legal battle which eventually reached the Supreme Court.

The dispute centred on her eligibility to participate in the PDP primary while she was a public servant and produced the case of Ogwuche v. Agbo.

Three years later, Ogwuche has returned to the race.

She has emerged as the PDP consensus candidate for the Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 election.

Unlike in 2023, when much of the controversy surrounding her aspiration was fought in the courts even before the general election, the coming contest offers Ogwuche another opportunity to test her popularity directly at the polls.

She will, however, be entering one of the most politically competitive federal constituencies in Benue South, where the PDP, APC, Labour Party and other political forces are positioning for the election.

For Ogwuche, experience from her previous contest could prove useful as she attempts another journey to the National Assembly.

Joy Okpainmo and the Apa/Agatu battle

Another woman who has attracted attention in the build-up to 2027 is Barrister Joy Okpainmo Ameh in Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency.

A lawyer and legislative draftsman, Okpainmo has been pushing for Apa to produce the next representative of the constituency.

The political argument around her ambition is anchored partly on an informal rotation understanding between Apa and Agatu.

The incumbent, Ojotu Ojema, is from Agatu, while political actors from Apa have argued that the seat should return to their local government in 2027.

Okpainmo has been involved in consultations with stakeholders from the area as she seeks support for her ambition.

Her journey towards the ballot has not been without controversy.

She participated in the ADC process for the Apa/Agatu ticket, but the party’s state leadership declared the May 2026 primary invalid following allegations of violence and hijacking of electoral materials before switching to the NDP where she is flying the flag of the party.

The declaration followed a petition by Okpainmo, who maintained that the primary could not properly hold because electoral materials were unavailable at the venue.

The party subsequently said a fresh exercise would be conducted.

Her experience highlights another challenge facing some women seeking elective offices — surviving the internal politics of their parties before confronting opponents at the general election.

Lami Ogenyi seeks another term

At the state level, Lami Danladi Ogenyi is one of the most prominent female politicians seeking re-election in Benue South.

Ogenyi currently represents Ado State Constituency and serves as Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly.

Her position already makes her one of the highest-ranking elected female politicians in Benue State.

She is seeking another term in the Assembly on the platform of the APC.

The primary that produced her was itself significant for the gender narrative surrounding the 2027 contests.

Official results presented by the returning officer credited Ogenyi with 7,132 votes, ahead of three male contestants — Mark Ochoga, Dickson Otokpa and Godswill Iduh — to secure the APC ticket.

Her candidature was subsequently affirmed, with the deputy speaker receiving her nomination form ahead of the general election.

Ogenyi therefore enters 2027 not merely as a woman attempting to break into the political establishment, but as an incumbent defending her place in it.

Her performance in the election will also provide another test of whether female politicians who have attained leadership positions in the state can consolidate their electoral bases.

Still a man’s world?

Despite the growing visibility of the female candidates, politics in Benue and Nigeria generally remains overwhelmingly dominated by men.

The emergence of women across the presidential, governorship and legislative contests does not automatically translate into greater female representation.

They must still overcome the structural realities of Nigerian politics — party structures, campaign financing, zoning, incumbency, political godfathers, grassroots mobilisation and, ultimately, voter preference.

For Okwori, the challenge is the enormous geographical and financial demands of a presidential campaign.

For Obetta, it is the task of converting local political experience into statewide relevance.

For Onuh, the major questions will include whether her record and APC machinery can overcome opposition to a third term and the agitation for the seat to move to Ohimini.

Ofie-Adoyi must translate the zoning argument and PDP support into actual votes, while Ikwue faces the challenge of building a competitive structure around the NDP.

Ogwuche faces the task of converting her political visibility and another opportunity on the PDP platform into victory in Enone.

For Okpainmo, the immediate challenge has been navigating the turbulent internal politics surrounding the Apa/Agatu ticket.

Ogenyi has incumbency and her position as Deputy Speaker behind her but will still have to convince Ado voters to renew her mandate.

Whatever happens when voters eventually head to the polls, one development is already clear: women will not merely be spectators in some of the biggest political battles in Idoma land in 2027.

Some will be confronting men. Others will be fighting fellow women.

And nowhere is that new reality likely to be more vividly demonstrated than Otukpo/Ohimini, where three women could find themselves at the centre of a fierce battle over zoning, incumbency and political succession.

From the presidential race to the governorship and legislative contests, the women are putting their ambitions, political networks and reputations on the line.

For Idoma’s political Amazons, getting their names on the ballot may only be the beginning.

The bigger battle will be proving that they can convert political visibility into electoral power.