You are a lawyer and a businesswoman. What motivated you to go into politics?
I am in politics because my skills as a lawyer and a businesswoman are directly transferable to problem-solving as a politician. I am also motivated to join politics because Nigeria is in dire need of quality leaders.
Committed men and women of integrity who are prepared to sacrifice for, and love our people and country.
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The misery, hopelessness, starvation, and destitution in Nigeria is bound to blow out into much worse chaos if nothing is done to alleviate the suffering.
Finally, my kids and all the children of Nigeria deserve better. I cannot fold my hands and do nothing when I know their future may not be bright if I did nothing. That’s probably my biggest motivation.
How will you be able to take care of the home front if you emerge president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
I have always been in business, education and even politics the entire time I have been wife and mother to my children.
I will continue to find the perfect balance to make sure my home life is intact, and my work as president is done to maximum capacity. All it takes is to build a working system with a trusted team. We have always had that in my home.
Why did you decide to found your own party instead of joining one of the major parties in Nigeria?
I believe the way and manner in which political parties are designed greatly affect the quality of aspirants the parties produce.
And since it is amongst these aspirants that the final leaders of our country will be picked, it is of great importance that we get it right abinitio.
My team and I greatly researched the 28 political parties that were registered at the time we set out to form National Interest Party (NIP).
There weren’t any that allowed for all the members of the party to vote for their preferred candidates.
All the registered political parties at the time operated the indirect primaries system i.e. they employed the use of delegates to choose aspirants for elective offices.
We didn’t like this as we were certain that direct primaries were the best options for ensuring democratic processes within the parties.
This was a major reason we formed NIP. And we use the direct primaries approach to select aspirants for elective offices.
Was it the ‘Not Too Young To Run Bill’ that encouraged you to vie for elective position?
Yes it is. I am 39 years old. But for the ‘Not Too Young To Run Law’, I would have had to wait another four years to contest the Presidency.
Why did you decide to go for the highest political office in the land? Don’t you think it is better to start at a lower level?
For me, it is always about where I can be of best use. Starting lower would have been great if I had a different set of skills than those I possess. I am starting at the place where I can deliver at maximum capacity and I think that is the best place to start.
Do you think the time is ripe for a female president?
Absolutely! All Nigerians need now is to see that I deserve the seat. It is not so much as gender as it is about solving our myriads of problems as a country.
What are you doing to carry the womenfolk along so that we won’t have a repeat of what happened to Prof Remi Sonaiya that even the womenfolk did not vote for her?
I am engaging with the women. Making sure they see the qualities in me that set me apart from all other women. I am also laying it open!
Making sure I come from a place of sincerity and complete honesty.
I am confident that both men and women will support my candidacy once they become convinced that I tell them the truth all the time, that I have prepared for the leadership of this country, and that I have the necessary skills to revamp our economy and set our country on the right path of growth, peace and harmony.
Do you think the Nigerian women will have a better outing in the 2019 general elections?
I am sure Nigerian women who deserve to be taken seriously will be taken seriously in 2019. It all depends on the strategies we employ.
In this era of stomach infrastructure, do you think you have the financial war chest to compete with the likes of Atiku, Saraki and so on?
I do not have to spend money to compete with Atiku, Saraki and so on. I just have to be in the right place at the right time, and that I have done.
My political party NIP is a member of the coalition of parties called the CUPP. All 41 entities in this coalition agreed to present one Presidential candidate.
Now, Atiku, Saraki and the rest of them are all under PDP, RAPC and all the other parties. None of them belong to NIP.
So, I am not in a competition with all of them. They will compete amongst one another in their various parties and after their primaries; they will throw their successful candidate into the CUPP.
So, after I emerge the NIP candidate, I will go into another primary election with the people who emerged from all the other parties and we will battle it out against one another.
In a free and fair contest within the CUPP, I will most definitely do well.
So, if/when I emerge the consensus candidate under the CUPP – ALL the 41 entities in the party will back me for the Presidency.
If this happens, it’s a sure win for me in the 2019 Presidential elections because all the financial war chests of the Atikus, Sarakis etc of this world would be right behind me – not working against me.
If you eventually emerge as the president of Nigeria, what are your plans for women and young people?
Every policy I will drive as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will most definitely favour women and young people in Nigeria. This is guaranteed per cent.
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