First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu on Monday said that although the constitution mandates those seeking public office to hold a minimum school certificate, women must pursue higher education to build the competence and capacity needed to hold office effectively.
She also advised women to build grassroots structures through community engagement to connect with their constituents, which most politicians overlook.
“I tell people that the minimum requirement to run for an office is just a school certificate. But what is good is to have a lot of education,” Mrs Tinubu told a gathering of state and zonal women leaders of the All Progressives Congress she hosted at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Her remarks come barely two weeks after the APC’s nationwide primaries, which saw several high-profile female lawmakers and aspirants lose their bids for the House of Representatives to their male counterparts.
The APC House of Representatives primaries held on May 16, 2026, produced several high-profile female casualties, including Miriam Onuoha of Okigwe North, Imo State, who failed to secure a return ticket after two terms in the legislature.
