By Prosper Okoye,
The Women for 35% Initiative of Aju Morgan Elumelu Foundation has joined several other pro-women and rights groups to strongly condemn what it described as the “purported impeachment” of Hon. Mrs. Alice Tangi Allen, the Executive Chairman of Sagbama Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.
Rather than an impeachment, the pro-women initiative said the action should be seen for what it is: ‘a military coup executed by Governor Douye Diri, hiding behind the smokescreen provided by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
The Foundation said the purported impeachment of Hon. Tangi Allen, the only female Local Government Chairman in the state, is not only a coup against the constitution, the rule of law and an affront against a court of competent jurisdiction, but also an open declaration of war against women, whose only elected Chairman has been forcefully booted out for no other reason that she refused to follow Governor Diri to join the APC.
A state signed by Amb. Aju Elumelu, Founder of AJU Morgan Elumelu Foundation and the Convener of Women for 35% Initiative said in part:
“This development is deeply troubling, particularly given the events and reports that have surrounded her since the political transition in the state.
“Hon. Mrs. Alice Tangi Allen was elected under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and sworn into office on May 29, 2024. She received a mandate from the people of Sagbama Local Government Area to serve them, and we believe that mandate deserves to be respected.”
With barely eight months left to the end of her tenure, Elumelu wondered why those after Hon. Allen’s seat could not wait to challenge for it at the ballot box.
“For some time now, we have been hearing disturbing stories and reports about Hon. Mrs. Allen allegedly being pushed around, intimidated, pressured and subjected to political harassment because of her refusal to defect from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
We did not rush to make public statements. We watched. We listened.
We patiently followed the situation to see how it would unfold, hoping that reason, dialogue and respect for democratic principles would prevail”, the statement said.
Elumelu said the women rights groups had hoped that the matter would be resolved without the need for public confrontation, but that, unfortunately, the situation has now culminated in Hon. Allen’s impeachment.
She said it was particularly strange that despite series of protests by several rights groups and individuals calling for restraint and fairness, the state government, through the state house of assembly and the legislative council refused to reconsider its less-than-altruistic plot to kick out the council Chairman.
“Even more disturbing”, Elumelu noted, “are reports that someone else has now been secretly sworn in as Acting Chairman of Sagbama Local Government Area, Hon. Diepreye Rosline Yankee, who was elected as the Councillor and Leader of the House”.
Incidentally , this same Leader of the House is also a defendant in the suit on the same matter at the High Court of Bayelsa State on which a judge had issued a subsisting order for stay of action since August 10, 2026.
That case was billed to be heard on the 20th of August, before the defendants purportedly impeachment Hon. Allen, the complainant.
According to the women rights group, the latest development now raises fresh serious concerns:
“If an elected Local Government Chairman can be pressured to abandon the political party under which she was elected and subsequently face impeachment after refusing to do so, and if another person can then be secretly sworn in to occupy the position, then we must ask ourselves: What does this mean for the future of democracy and women’s participation in politics in Nigeria?
“Hon. Mrs. Alice Tangi Allen is not merely a politician. She represents one of the very few women who have successfully broken through the enormous barriers that continue to keep women out of political leadership.
“She is the only woman among the eight elected Local Government Chairmen in Bayelsa State.
That fact alone should concern every person who genuinely believes in women’s inclusion in governance.
For years, women have been encouraged to come forward, contest elections, seek leadership positions and participate actively in politics. But what happens when a woman actually wins?
What happens when she refuses to be politically intimidated?
What happens when she chooses to exercise her political freedom and remain with the party under which she was elected?
Must the price of a woman remaining in political leadership be intimidation, humiliation and eventual removal?” the group asked.
“The statement reads in part:
Women for 35% cannot remain silent.
Our campaign is not about supporting one political party against another. It is about protecting women’s participation in democracy. It is about ensuring that women who win elections are allowed to serve their mandates without being subjected to political coercion.
“We therefore condemn, in the strongest possible terms, any act of intimidation, harassment, coercion or political victimization against Hon. Mrs. Alice Tangi Allen or any other woman in public office.
“We call on all relevant authorities, democratic institutions, civil society organizations, women’s organizations and defenders of democracy to pay close attention to what has happened in Sagbama and to ensure that the rights and dignity of elected officials are protected.
“We also urge all parties involved to pursue every available constitutional and legal avenue to address this matter peacefully and transparently.
“The struggle for 35% affirmative action is not simply about getting women into political offices. It is about creating a political environment where women can enter, remain, lead and complete their mandates without intimidation or discrimination.
“We will continue to ask: Why are there so few women in political leadership?
And when the few who make it there are allegedly pushed around, pressured and eventually removed, what message are we sending to the next generation of women who want to lead?
“Hon. Mrs. Alice Tangi Allen deserves the right to have her case treated fairly, transparently and in accordance with the law.
“Women for 35% stands with every woman who dares to lead.
We will not be silent when women are intimidated for exercising their democratic rights.
“We will not stop demanding a political system where women are not merely allowed to contest, but are respected when they win.
“Women must not only be given a seat at the table. They must be allowed to remain at the table”.
