Kebbi military widows, Nigerian Legion trade blame over association’s leadership

The Military Widows Association of Nigeria’s Kebbi State chapter is split over who has the authority to lead it. Former state coordinator Hajiya Asma’u Kanoma has rejected a new executive, while the Nigerian Legion says the election that produced it followed a national directive.

Nigerian Legion Kebbi chairman Alhaji Ahmed Shehu-Matawalle said the Legion’s national leadership brought MIWA and Legion executives from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to Abuja to discuss restructuring the associations. He said the meeting ended with an order to dissolve existing MIWA state executives and hold fresh elections.

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The leadership of the Nigerian Legion summoned all the 36 state executives and the FCT from MIWA and the Nigerian Legion to converge in Abuja for a meeting to restructure the associations.

“We abided by the directive from the national body of the Legion and organised the election here in Kebbi State,” Shehu-Matawalle said. He said the Kebbi vote took place on June 18, 2026, under the supervision of the Nigerian Legion and the Kebbi State Government.

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We abided by the directive from the national body of the Legion and organised the election here in Kebbi State.

According to Shehu-Matawalle, Kanoma’s former leadership took part in the election but lost. Hajiya Maryam Garba emerged as state coordinator, with Aisha Sani-Ibrahim as assistant coordinator and Jummai Bango as secretary. He rejected claims that the result reflected an imposed leadership.

“There was no imposition of leadership. The new executives emerged through an election conducted at the state level in accordance with the directive of the national leadership,” he said. Kanoma maintains that MIWA is an independent national association with its own constitution, that her executive’s tenure had not ended, and that the Nigerian Legion had no power to dissolve it or organize an election.

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There was no imposition of leadership. The new executives emerged through an election conducted at the state level in accordance with the directive of the national leadership.