Aduragbemi Euba Animashaun is governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Oyo State. She speaks with WALE AKINSELURE on her decision to venture into politics, her challenges as a female in politics,
Your involvement in party politics is not so robust, yet you vie to be state governor. There is the school of thought that people should vie for lower political positions so as to learn the ropes before vying for higher positions. Why are you aiming for governorship on your first attempt in politics?
I am aiming to be governor on the platform of the Young Progressives Party (YPP). It is a youth party; it is a party that believes in the capacity of youths. We know that we have not been around as long as some of the other political parties. Coming out for governorship, the dream is to be able to reach more people. If I start with being a councillor, for example, you are not going to feel my impact the way you will feel my impact as governor. What I have done for the people of Oyo State, in my capacity as an individual, even a councillor has not done it. If I believe that I can do more, why do I want to start small? What I carry is not something I can carry from a low level. It is something I want people to see. And, it is because I know that I am capable of doing it.
You are running for governor on the platform of YPP, which is relatively a new party. Don’t you think your chances are much low compared to those of the other well-established parties like the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
Talking about my chances, I believe so much in my capacity as a woman. I believe in our strength and resilience; I believe so much in our numbers. Since I have started this journey, I have had a lot of women that have been with me, not greed driven. These are women doing greatly in their fields. I have been able to build a community of women. Before I started this journey, I have been building communities. As a fashion entrepreneur, I have been able to train women, for free, on fashion designing. I have also been able to help women in fabric business. It can be a community of 20 people but when you are making impact, they tell their husbands, families, relatives and it spreads. I believe so much in what I have been doing before now and what has been coming my way, even on this journey. More women have been supportive. So, I believe in my gender. If women in Oyo State say they are not voting a particular candidate, that candidate is going nowhere. The power and strength of a woman cannot be underestimated. Also, I am young and a youth. Oyo State today, has about 60 percent of youths and I have enough youths. I believe in my strength as a youth and I am going to use my strength as a youth. A lot of youths now understand that we don’t want to sell our votes again. Youths have woken up and have said no to the old ways. Sometimes, I randomly meet people who when they see the drive, they say they are tired of old people being in power. I believe in my capacity as a youth, as a woman, that in the next election, I will be elected as the governor of Oyo State.
In terms of structure, I mean, is the YPP visible across all wards of the state?
For a new party, we have good structure. We are striving to do more, but we have structure. We are not doing badly as a new party.
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Do you and your party have the needed funds for Nigeria’s kind of politicking?
I have a campaign team. The people on my campaign team are not people who are not financially capable; they are people who have their businesses; they are people who are financially capable to support the movement. I have the right support of people, family. This is not greed driven; it is true passion; and we will not do beyond our capacity. We will pull the resources we can pull and do the right things.
In your meetings with several people, how realistic do they say your governorship bid is?
I have been meeting people who have been telling me that it is realistic. I have also met people who question my bid. There are also those who question whether I can win governorship with YPP. What I will always say is when your intentions are clear and right and I believe in the story of David and Goliath. Nobody thought David will knock down Goliath so I am doing this with that mindset.
What is wrong with the present administration in Oyo State that you want to fix?
One peculiar issue is the education system in Oyo State. I am not in the politics of antagonizing the other party; I believe in my intentions. I believe in my capacity and I am focused on the Oyo State I want to see in my tenure. In the rural areas, we have a lot of schools that lack facilities. If we want to have a greater tomorrow, greater state, greater future, we need to raise the generation of sound kids; they are truly the leaders of tomorrow. If I did not have access to the right education system, I won’t be whom I am today. When you go to rural areas, you see a lot of schools not having libraries; some classrooms have bad floors; some teachers are so lackadaisical. Sometimes, I picture myself that if, as a child, I am in this environment, will I be able to focus on learning? Will I be able to assimilate? We need to understand a child’s psychology. We need to do things that will help the attention span of the child. Oyo State is not doing good in that area, especially in rural areas. I have even been to some schools in Ona-Ara local government area, where I come from, and the state of schools there is bad. You get to some public schools and you meet four teachers and they have hundreds of students. What is government doing about that? You still have some percentage of children in those areas that don’t even have access to education. I believe every child should have access to education.
Do you think the electoral laws, guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) favour the bid of young people like you and young parties like yours?
The INEC guidelines are good. Sometimes, the issue is not the electoral laws. For a young woman like me to come out in Oyo State which is a very indigenous state is challenging. People try to silence you but you have to create a thick skin. The laws are not even the problem but the people. They try to bully you. They try to frustrate you, including the use of emotional blackmail. Different things show up even from areas that you do not expect. You have to be ready and determined.
You sound like you have gone through a lot in this political expedition.
It is politics and this is Oyo State, what do you expect? Oyo State is a very indigenous state. I have heard people say I am too pretty for politics, I dress too much for politics, I have to tone down this and that. What has the way I look got to do with what I have in my brain? What has it got to do with my passion? What has it got to do with my credibility? People judge you by your gender and outlook.
