I HAVE EXHAUSTED MY SAVINGS FOR MY POLITICAL AMBITION, SAYS ABIOLA’S DAUGHTER

The 45-minute weekly show is an initiative of the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth, and Advancement (YIAGA) in partnership with the Not Too Young To Run Movement, Channels Television and Premium Times.

Penpushing further reports that, an advocate of Gender Equity and Youth inclusion in politics, explained that a number of times, people do not want to understand that she is young and a female, and need resources.

Her words, ’fundraising has been quite challenging for me. I have exhausted my savings. A number of times, and people do not want to understand that you are young and you are female. Well, I have had the support of friends and family associates and total strangers who I had never met’.

‘As young people, we need resources. I am running against people who are richer and more experienced. It has been really challenging. I am really hoping, as time goes on; I would be able to raise more funds’.

Penpushing also reports that, the new entrant into politics said, she, had always stood for youth inclusion and women inclusion, recalling that during the struggle for the Not Too Young To Run bill to be passed, she was also very active trying to see to it that young Nigerians are able to achieve and secure inclusion for the entire generation, not just this one, but generations to come.

Speaking on why she left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Action Democratic Party (ADP),she said the authorities in Ogun State  declared her as unripe to contest for the House of Representatives, rather she should considered contesting for councillorship

‘When I said I wanted to run for office, I was told pointblank that people like me should probably be considered to be running for councillorship and personal references to my father, talking about how he was there for a very long time’.

‘I was told I did not have what it takes to run. And, of course, I was told if I dared to challenge those who are telling me, there would be consequences. But for me, I drew a lot of strength from my father, he gave up his life fighting for this democracy and this was during the military era’, she added.

‘And if my father could stand up and challenge the military era then, so who am I to say I am afraid to fight for what I believe in a democratic dispensation? I believe strongly that a democratic institution should not be used for dictatorship or tyranny of any form’, the young politician emphasised.

‘And I felt as young people; if we continue and just seat and abide by the rules that are handed down and then been told to go up and queue until it is your turn, that time would never actually come. I don’t want to be 52 and still struggling to be running for a state House of Assembly in Ogun State’.

‘That is what they expect us to do, and we are not going to take our rightful place for as long as we are afraid to do the needful. So I stood up and I said I was going to leave. I consulted very widely and my people told me to go ahead.

‘For that, I don’t have any regret whatsoever. At that time I did not see any other option. Also, the event following my departure has shown I have a valid reason to leave the party.Looking at my people, I have been working at the National Assembly, I just resigned on December 31’.

‘I am very familiar with the process. I know that the duties of the legislature are actually into three parts. They make law, they perform oversight functions that are to show that the national resources are actually spent on things that matter for the people’.

‘The third part is adding federal presence to the constituency. In my constituency that I am running to represent, you could actually see that government presence there is very little, especially in Obafemi-Owode in Abeokuta North and at the federal level there is nothing going on there’.