Politics
[INTERVIEW] We Need To Retire Old Politicians In 2023 Elections- Olagunju, LP Senatorial Candidate For Kwara South
Honourable Abidoye Olagunju, the 2023 Kwara South Senatorial Candidate under Labour Party shares his life, political journey, aspirations and view with Biztellers in this exclusive interview.
Introduce Yourself, Sir
I am Honourable Abidoye Olagunju, the 2023 Kwara South Senatorial Candidate under Labour Party.
I hail from Igosun in Oyun Local Government Area where I attended primary school. I went to Oyun Baptist High School, Ijagbo in the same local government area before I proceeded to Tunland College, Benin-City. I subsequently went to the University of Ilorin where I had a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.
I served as Whip at 200L, Clerk at 300 level and Senate President at 400 level.
I also have my Masters in Public Administration.
What Led You Into Politics?
Actually, I was born into politics. My father, Retired Chief Major Afolabi Olagunju from Igosun is a politician, and I studied politics in school, hence I felt the need to practicalise what I learned. I believe with my person and my knowledge we will deliver our people from the present bad government that we have in Kwara State and in Nigeria as a whole.
Why Labour Party?
I joined Labour Party few years back. In 2019, I contested as Kwara South Senatorial District Candidate under the party and in 2022 again I won the ticket to contest under the party.
You can find Labour Party all over the world; in the UK, US, Brazil and all other because it is an international party. It is a defined party and not a quark party.
Our major objective is that we believe in equity and we believe everybody must have a life.
We have been given the mandate to contest the Senatorial district to save our people from the present menace and I believe, with the support of the masses come February 2023, I will emerge as the elected senator for Kwara South by the grace of God.
What Is Your View Peter Obi’s Presidency?
My view about the presidency of Peter Obi is of the fact that people actually want to change the change, and if we are changing the change we believe a new set of politicians should come into power especially the South-Eastern part of the country should also rule Nigeria because you know we’ve been playing a partial politics all these while.
Now we felt the need for Igbo to come and rule Nigeria because Obi is a vibrant candidate and as the only young and highly intelligent candidate. We have seen what he did in Anambra during his tenure as a governor he will certainly deliver Nigeria from this present situation we find ourselves.
We want to industrialize the country again. We want a country where everybody will have what to do and where everybody will be earning a living. We want a country where we won’t be running helter-skelter again.
We pray and we hope and we plead with our people to please support the candidacy of Peter Obi and of every other candidate of Labour Party. By the grace of God, we won’t let you down.
What Should Your People Look Up To, If You Get Elected?
If I am elected as the senator of Kwara South District, my first bill would be on unemployment. I want what is practiced in the USA and UK be reciprocated here (Nigeria).
I want to sponsor a bill that will make provision for our unemployed youths that they will be paid stipend at the end of the month.
I will also raise another one for the senior citizens, that they will be paid at the end of every month, too and by so doing I know comfort will come to stay in our country. I believe when you know that something is constantly coming at the end of the month, it would be a succour to oneself. Crimes would drastically reduce. One will be able to eat, pay rents, buy clothes and other life amenities.
We will also work on the security. I am a member of Nigeria Vigilante Group, Local Hunters Association as well as adopted member of the OPC and these three groups are security networks that we can refer to as the community police. We will create a synergy among the three security networks to provide adequate security for our people within the Kwara South in order to curb menaces, kidnappings, stealing, robberies and other related crimes in our senatorial district.
We also want to work on our health facility. we want to make sure that we have hospitals in every ward within the Kwara South. We want to work on our road networks. We want to open up the villages so that the people living in rural areas will have access to our towns. They would be able to bring farm produce and buyers can go into villages to access whatever farm produce they want to buy.
We will harp community development projects. I understand that what works in Community A may not work in Community B, hence we will be asking people what they want us to do for them.
Furthermore, we will empower our farmers by giving them money to boost their farming activities. There will be availability of tractors, farm equipment and every other things will be available. By so doing, we know our economy will improve in Kwara State.
We will also work ‘ready-made market’ for our farmers: we’ll have standard market for whatever produced in Kwara South.
How Do You Feel About Other Contestants, Especially In The APC and PDP?
Actually, I am not bothered with the other contestants from the APC and PDP because I have had the opportunity to meet them in some public gatherings in Kwara state and I have told them that the first objective we youth have is to retire them from active politics, because all these our grandfathers that are contesting with the youths is unacceptable by us. We will use our votes to unseat and retire all old politicians because most of them are corrupt. We want a new system of government. We want to bring new blood into politics. The present government in Kwara south is a failure and I know our people are ready to vote him out. The PDP counterpart is not acceptable by the people, too.
I know by the grace of God that Labour Party is the party of the day and we are going to form synergy with all other third parties so that we will work together and win the coming election for Labour Party.
I believe that our youths, civil servants are ready to work with Labour Party. I know by the grace of God, victory will be ours come 2023.
The All Progressives Congress has recorded a clean sweep in the Ebonyi State local government elections, winning all 13 chairmanship and 171 councillorship seats contested in the poll.
The results were announced on Sunday by the Chairman of the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, Patrick Enyi, at the commission’s office on Onwe Road, Abakaliki.
Among the winners was Osborn Umahi, son of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, who emerged chairman-elect of Ohaozara Local Government Area.
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Other candidates declared winners include Peace Agwu for Ishielu, Paul Ituma for Ohaukwu, Friday Nwuhuo for Ezza North, Chinedu Mkpuma for Ezza South, Chidi Nwode for Ikwo and Timothy Nwachi for Afikpo.
Also declared winners were Ikechukwu Ogbofia for Onicha, Michael Kalu Anyim for Ivo, Simeon Onuoha for Edda, Helen Aduga for Izzi, Chidiebere Alo for Abakaliki and Chibueze Odigwe for Ebonyi Local Government Area.
Enyi described the election as peaceful, free and fair, noting that other political parties participated in the exercise.
He commended voters for turning out to exercise their constitutional rights and appreciated security agencies for providing support throughout the election.
Speaking after his declaration, Umahi commended EBSIEC for what he described as the transparent and peaceful conduct of the election.
He pledged to prioritise rural development, youth empowerment and agricultural transformation during his tenure as chairman.
Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State APC Chairman, Stanley Okoro Emegha, described the party’s sweeping victory as an indication of its dominance in the state.
Emegha said the outcome also demonstrated what he described as the growing acceptance of the APC across Ebonyi, expressing confidence that the party would record another victory in the 2027 general elections.
Former Gombe State Governor and Senator representing Gombe Central, Danjuma Goje, has denied reports that he is planning to defect from the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Goje made the clarification on Saturday while addressing his supporters at his residence in Gombe, amid speculation over his political future following his loss of the APC senatorial ticket.
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The former governor said he was consulting with political stakeholders and would announce his next political move at the appropriate time.
He urged his supporters to remain loyal to the party’s leaders and disregard what he described as attempts to mislead them.
“Do not listen to betrayers, go home, prepare, be loyal to our party leaders and wait for my final order,” Goje said.
He further stated, “I am not defecting to any party now, however I am consulting stakeholders, but I promise I will be with my supporters with or without a Senate ticket.”
The development comes after Goje’s name was omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Goje had contested the APC senatorial primary for Gombe Central but lost the party’s ticket to another aspirant. Reports from the primary indicated that Mohammed Ahmed emerged as the APC candidate for the district.
His supporters had earlier rejected the party’s consensus arrangement that replaced him as the proposed candidate, with his camp questioning the process.
The situation has fuelled speculation about Goje’s next political move, particularly amid reports of overtures from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to offer him its senatorial ticket.
Despite the speculation, Goje has not announced any decision to leave the APC, insisting that he is still consulting stakeholders before taking a position.
Goje served as governor of Gombe State from 2003 to 2011 and was elected to the Senate in 2011. He was re-elected in 2023 for a fourth term representing Gombe Central.
With his name absent from the 2027 senatorial candidates’ list, political attention is now focused on whether Goje will remain in the APC, support another candidate or eventually move to another political platform.
For now, the former governor has asked his supporters to remain calm, loyal and ready for his “final order.”
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has presented 32 buses to leaders of the All Progressives Congress in the state to boost grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Uzodimma presented the vehicles on Saturday at the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre, where he charged the party to secure a 100 per cent victory in Imo, insisting that anything less would be unacceptable.
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The 32 buses comprise 27 vehicles for APC Local Government Area chairmen, three for the party’s zonal chairmen, and one each for the state women and youth leaders.
Speaking at the event, Uzodimma said the APC had enough achievements to campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, expressing confidence that even opposition supporters would vote for the President.
“We have the material to campaign because President Bola Tinubu has done tremendously well. Even our opponents will vote for President Tinubu,” Uzodimma said.
The governor said the party must deliver a complete victory in the state in the 2027 elections.
“Imo is APC and APC is Imo. We will deliver 100 per cent. 99.9 per cent will be unacceptable,” he noted.
Uzodimma also urged those who regarded themselves as his friends to demonstrate their support by voting for the APC and Tinubu.
“If you are my friend, the only way you can let me know you are my friend is when you vote for APC and support President Tinubu,” he said.
According to the governor, the vehicles were provided to strengthen the APC at the grassroots and enable party leaders to take its message to communities across the state.
“Today we want to support our party chairmen for the tasks ahead. If you say that party is supreme, this is the time,” he said.
Uzodimma, however, cautioned the beneficiaries against using the buses for purposes outside party mobilisation.
“Please use the vehicles for the party. It is important that the vehicles must be used to work for the party,” he added.
The APC State Chairman, Austin Onyedebelu, thanked the governor for the gesture, saying the buses would help the party expand its reach across communities in Imo.
Onyedebelu pledged that the party would work towards delivering all APC candidates, from the President to candidates contesting seats in the state Houses of Assembly.
The APC South-East Zonal Vice Chairman, Ijeoma Arodiogbu, also commended Uzodimma for providing the buses, describing him as “a man of grace.”
Arodiogbu urged party officials to deploy the vehicles effectively for grassroots mobilisation, warning that excuses would not be tolerated as the party prepares for the 2027 elections.
The 32 buses are expected to be deployed across Imo’s 27 local government areas as the APC intensifies its mobilisation ahead of the elections.
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