Northern Women Break Silence, Cry Out Over Hardship Under Tinubu’s Administration

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KANO — A profound political shift is unfolding across Nigeria’s northern region, where women—traditionally a powerful and loyal voting bloc—are openly turning their backs on the federal government. The growing wave of socio-economic despair reached a boiling point this week as women from various northern communities publicly confronted the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over what they termed severe economic betrayal.

In a series of emotional statements reflecting a wider, organized movement of rural and urban mothers, the women expressed deep sorrow over the spiraling cost of living, rampant food insecurity, and broken promises of national renewal.

“Baba, you have failed us. We voted with hope, but we are left with pain, hardship, and we regret voting for you.”

— An elderly Northern woman during a community gathering, echoing a widespread sentiment across the region.

The Collapse of a Voting Bloc

The open rebellion of Northern women represents a significant political crisis for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Historically, the female electorate in the North has been known for high voter turnout and disciplined alignment with the choices of regional leadership.

Investigative checks into the current discontent across major markets and residential hubs in Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina reveal that the anger is driven by immediate survival pressures rather than political manipulation:

• The Household Starvation Crisis: With the removal of fuel subsidies and the aggressive flotation of the Naira, the prices of basic northern dietary staples—such as millet, guinea corn, beans, and local rice—have soared far beyond the reach of average families. Mothers report being forced to ration single meals per day for their children.
• The Insecurity Intersections: Beyond the economy, rural northern women continue to bear the brunt of banditry and kidnapping. Many have lost their husbands—the primary breadwinners—to violence, while others have been forced to abandon their ancestral farmlands, completely destroying their local agricultural livelihoods.
• The Sense of Betrayal: During the 2023 electoral campaigns, women were promised robust social safety nets, agricultural subsidies, and micro-credit schemes. More than three years into the administration’s tenure, the reality on the ground consists of crushing inflation and inaccessible basic services.

By The Numbers: The Cost of Living in the North

The economic numbers driving these tears explain why the traditional patience of Northern matriarchs has finally snapped.

Shifting Alliances and the Road to Future Polls

For decades, Northern political power brokers relied on religious and traditional institutions to keep the female demographic aligned during economic downturns. However, the current hardship is proving too severe for conventional rhetoric to contain.

“When a Northern woman comes out to weep publicly and register her regret about an election, it means the structural cushion of the household has completely collapsed,” explained Mallam Ibrahim Mukhtar, a political analyst based in Kaduna. “These women are the managers of the home. They see the empty pots, they hear the hungry cries of the children, and they face the school administrators demanding fees they do not have.”

The presidency has consistently defended its harsh economic choices, pleading with Nigerians for patience and asserting that current structural reforms are painful but necessary surgeries required to save the nation’s economy from total collapse.

But for the crying mothers of the North, who are watching their children starve in real-time, academic economic arguments are no longer valid. The collective cry of “we regret voting for you” serves as a stark, early warning that the political goodwill that brought this administration to power has worn dangerously thin.