Breaking Nigeria’s Political Glass Ceiling: NDC’S Only Female State Party Chairman, Princess Oyeronke Akinlolu, Launches Grassroots Revolution In Oyo State – Declares ‘Politics Needs Women And Youths, Not Just Voters’

In a historic political first for NDC party, Princess Oyeronke Akinlolu, the only female state chairman of any the party in the country, has unveiled an ambitious grassroots revolution in Oyo State, declaring that the time for women and youths to move from spectators to decision-makers has arrived. As chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Oyo State, Princess Akinlolu is leading what she describes as a “quiet but lethal mobilization” across all 33 local government areas of the state, a move political observers say could reshape the state’s political landscape ahead of future elections.

Speaking exclusively in Ibadan, Princess Akinlolu revealed that the NDC is currently constructing full-fledged party structures from the ward level upward, with a focus on rebuilding citizen trust in democracy. “We are mobilizing and putting up structures in the 33 LGs of the state,” she said. “The challenge is not much – people have only lost interest in politics because of the situation in the country. Our job is to bring that interest back.”

She identified political apathy as the single biggest obstacle, not opposition from other parties. “People have lost interest in politics because of the situation in the country,” she explained. “But we are not complaining. We are showing them that politics can be different. We are showing them that a woman can lead, that youths can be trusted, and that their votes will actually count.”

Princess Akinlolu was quick to credit the national leadership of the NDC, particularly the party’s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, for creating an environment where women can thrive in leadership roles. “Senator Seriake Dickson believes so much in women,” she said. “He is ready to uplift women and our teeming and vibrant youths in politics, promoting them and supporting the affirmation of women and youths to be allowed in politics and not just be spectators.”

While acknowledging that support from the national body has been significant “to an extent,” she emphasized that the real transformation is happening at the grassroots level, driven by ordinary citizens who are tired of business-as-usual politics. “We are not just building a party – we are rebuilding trust in democracy, one local government at a time,” she declared.

Political analysts note that Princess Akinlolu’s position as the only female state party chairman among Nigeria’s 18 registered political parties is not merely a symbolic achievement but a direct challenge to the deep-seated patriarchal structures that have long excluded women from top party offices. Her rise, they argue, offers a potential blueprint for gender inclusion ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Princess Akinlolu announced that the coming months will see intensified grassroots sensitization campaigns, women-focused political summits across Oyo State’s three senatorial districts, and direct engagement with disillusioned voters, including market women, unemployed youth, and rural farmers. “Politics in Nigeria has reduced ordinary people to just voters – brought out on election day and forgotten afterward,” she said. “That ends with us. Women and youths must be in decision-making rooms, not just on voter cards.”

She also called on other political parties to follow the NDC’s example by zoning chairmanship positions to women in at least one state each. “If we can do it in Oyo State, any party can do it anywhere in Nigeria,” she said. “The question is not whether women are capable. The question is whether the men in power are willing to step back and give us space.”

As the NDC continues its quiet revolution across Oyo State, Princess Akinlolu remains undaunted by the scale of the task. “They said a woman cannot be a party chairman. They said the grassroots cannot be rebuilt. They said Nigerians no longer care about politics,” she said. “We are proving all of them wrong. Watch this space.”