Adamawa Women Raise N129m, Set N200m Target to Back Galadima’s 2027 Governorship Bid

They came from every corner of Adamawa State. From Fufore and Michika, from Numan and Ganye, from the dusty roads of Madagali and the crowded markets of Jimeta. Women who left their farms, their shops, and their homes to gather under one roof at the Wetlands Park and Garden in Yola, with a declaration, a demand, and over a hundred million naira in hand.

What unfolded at the state convention of the Galadima Women Support Movement on Wednesday was not a routine political rally. It was something harder to manufacture and far harder to dismiss, a grassroots financial mobilisation that the 2027 Adamawa governorship race will have to contend with.

The target is N200 million. The amount already raised is N129 million. And the man they want to spend it on, Alhaji Ahmad Tijjani Galadima, former Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) and son of the late Galadima of Adamawa, has not yet formally declared his candidacy.

The Women Who Built the Movement

Hajiya Mariya Adamu Nyako, also known as Zinariya Mayo Belwa, did not arrive at this convention by accident. As State Coordinator of the Galadima Women Support Movement, she has spent months doing the unglamorous work of political organisation, visiting all 21 local government areas of Adamawa State, meeting women in their communities, and building a structure that cuts across the state’s deep ethnic and geographic divides.

“Our journey began with careful observation and sincere reflection on the life and contribution of Ahmed Tijjani Galadima,” she told the gathering. “His consistent humanity, his commitment to education, his dedication to uplifting the less privileged – his actions have spoken louder than promises.”

Her address covered ground beyond sentiment. She announced the fundraising breakdown to the crowd with the confidence of someone who knows every naira was earned rather than donated out of obligation. A scholarship programme for students within and outside the country received a portion of the funds. Women’s empowerment initiatives were allocated separately. The remainder is earmarked for Galadima’s governorship nomination form and the operational costs of building a statewide campaign infrastructure.

“This is not just financial commitment,” Hajiya Mariya said. “It is the trust of the people, especially women and children in Adamawa, in his leadership.” She was direct about the movement’s expectations in return. “Ladima, we urge you to kindly accept this contribution as a symbol of our confidence in you. We call on you to listen to the voice of Adamawa women as a reason to serve.”

Zonal Coordinator Paulina Kaigama, who oversees women’s mobilisation across Kwatam, Bura, and Jimeta, gave the movement’s milestone a sharper frame when she addressed the crowd directly. “We visited the 21 local governments. We met with women. We promised them that one day we shall call them to Yola to meet with them,” she said. “I asked them whether we have fulfilled our promise, and everybody answered yes.” The answer spoke to something that most political movements in Adamawa struggle to achieve: credibility across LGA lines.

The Woman Behind the Candidate

If the coordinators built the machinery, Hajiya Sa’adatu Ahmad Galadima gave the convention its most personal moment.

Standing before a crowd drawn from every local government in the state, the wife of Ahmad Tijjani Galadima delivered a speech that moved between gratitude and a direct promise to the women who have staked their time, their money, and their credibility on her husband’s potential candidacy.

“I stand before you with a grateful heart, deeply moved by this show of solidarity and by the enormous support you have all rendered to my husband,” she said. “What you have done here is truly remarkable, something none of us will forget for as long as we live.”

She acknowledged what the gathering represented beyond politics. The women present were not career party officials or paid mobilisers. They were community women who had travelled long distances, contributed from modest incomes, and in some cases donated farm produce when cash was out of reach. Hajiya Sa’adatu spoke to that directly. “I am fully aware of the hardships women face daily, from the grassroots communities to our urban centres, within families, within society, and in every space where their voices are too often unheard,” she said. “That awareness drives everything we stand for.”

Her promise was specific and personal. “If you continue to stand with us, and if the people see fit to give my husband the opportunity to serve, the suffering of women and children in Adamawa will be brought to an end,” she said. “Our commitment is not merely to support women and children; it is to empower them, to educate them, and to provide a healthy and dignified environment for them to thrive.”

She closed with a plea that the room received in silence before erupting in response. “I plead with every woman here: keep that support burning. Let us carry this movement forward together, with faith and with purpose.”

In a political season already crowded with declarations and endorsements, it was one of the few moments that felt unscripted.

The Man at the Centre

Ahmad Tijjani Galadima did not address the convention personally. He was represented by Mr John Hamma, Director and Coordinator of all Tijjani Support Groups, and also Chairman of the APC in Adamawa State.

Hamma arrived at the event with a message that matched the room’s energy. “I believe that Adamawa State is for APC, and APC is for fairness and freedom,” he said. But it was his description of what the women’s movement represents that carried the greater political weight. “What they have really shown, wanting someone to serve them, raising over N100 million, giving out some of their farm produce to support the move – there is no love more than this,” he said. “It is the work, the help that he renders, that makes the women want to make him their leader and representative.”

Galadima‘s profile lends credibility to the mobilisation behind him. As a former Executive Secretary of the PTDF, he oversaw one of Nigeria’s most significant education and capacity-building institutions, funding scholarships for Nigerians to study across the world and managing technical training initiatives tied to the country’s petroleum sector. His supporters point to those years as evidence of an administrator with both federal connections and a demonstrated record in education, which remains one of Adamawa’s most acute developmental challenges.

The movement has also chosen to formally align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid, with women at the convention pledging to “support him all the way” in 2027 and to work for the APC’s overall performance in Adamawa. That alignment is a deliberate strategic signal, positioning Galadima’s potential governorship run within the mainstream of the party’s national direction rather than in opposition to it.

What the Money Means

Political analysts watching Adamawa’s 2027 race will note that the N129 million already raised is not simply a number. It is a measure of organisational depth that most aspirants at this stage of the cycle have not demonstrated.

Governorship nomination forms at the APC national level have historically cost between N50 million and N100 million in recent cycles, with associated administrative fees adding to that base. The GWSM’s publicly stated target of N200 million is calibrated to cover the form, with funds left over for mobilisation, logistics, and early campaign infrastructure.

What makes the fundraising notable is its character. Hajiya Mariya was explicit that contributions came from women’s groups and individuals across the state, including farm produce donated by women who could not give cash. That breadth, small contributions aggregated across communities, typically signals the kind of organic support that is difficult to replicate with cheques from a small number of wealthy backers.

The convention also drew a notable roster of zonal coordinators and political figures, among them Hajiya Maisaratu Bello, Mrs Ruth Danladi Kwabe, Hon. Prisca M. Karka, Hon. Fatima Ornan Nyaru, Hon. Zubaida Bashir Hong, Barr. Fatima Bello Raji and Hajiya Fatimatu Hammanjoda, representing constituencies from across the state’s geopolitical spread.

Representatives from Galadima’s camp did not respond to specific questions about the timeline for a formal declaration as of press time.

Hajiya Mariya closed her address with a line that will outlast the convention in the memories of those who heard it. “This is not just a call,” she said. “It is a unified voice of mothers, sisters, scientists, daughters and women, demanding inclusive governance, empowerment, and a future where every woman and community can strive.”

Hajiya Sa’adatu had said something similar, in her own register, earlier in the day. She had looked out at the women who came from all 21 local governments, who gave what they had, and told them plainly what she believed this moment meant. “What you have done here is truly remarkable, something none of us will forget for as long as we live.”

Whether Ahmad Tijjani Galadima answers the call, formally and publicly, is the question that now defines the next chapter of Adamawa’s 2027 political season. The women who built this movement have made clear they are not waiting indefinitely.

They raised over a hundred million naira before he declared. What they raise after will say everything about whether this movement is a spark or a fire.