How will you describe the death of Senator Ali Wakili?
The death of Senator Wakili came as a blow to me. It happened when I was attending the 62th UN/CSW programme in New York. And exactly one month before his death, I had the honour of his presence at a community empowerment programme I did in my constituency. It was a shock when I heard of his death. We are yet to recover from it and this is the feeling not only in Bauchi South, but in the entire state. This is due to the nature of his personality and his relationship with the grass roots.
For the three years he was at the Senate, how would you rate his stewardship?
Every Nigerian that follows the activities of the National Assembly will tell you how much the late senator has contributed in the eighth Senate. His contributions on meaningful bills and motions, and those he sponsored himself were immeasurable. He was known to always voice his opinion without fear or favour. He never betrayed his oath of office and his principles. These qualities stood him out among many of his colleagues. Senator Wakil never spent two weeks away from the state. Every weekend you would see him in town making visitations, condolences and given out items here and there. He was so close to the people and blended with them. These are some of the reasons we were so proud of him.
As a woman, do you think that you have the political clout to compete with men for the seat?
The acceptability of a person does not necessarily depend on the gender of that person. From 1999 to date, we have seen many capable Nigerians both men and women who have made their marks and recorded great success in various fields. We have also seen people both men and women who have fallen from grace to grass due to their shameful conducts.
This is to tell you that what I can do or not do will definitely not be because of my gender as a woman, but because of my passion and intention. The little I have been able to achieve in the last three years in office, I believe can say a lot on the type of person I am and what I can be, if given the opportunity. It is left for the people of Bauchi South to decide what they want, either business as usual or progress.
What is motivating you for the aspiration?
Before I ran for the seat I am occupying currently, I was a development worker. I have had the opportunity to work with federal, state and local governments, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, among others. I have seen how government is supposed to be run; what the people’s expectations should be; what laws need to be in place to effect development and so on. From there, I started developing interest in politics, particularly for elective position. Because I realised that there are certain decisions that only elected people can make. No matter how rich or famous you are, there are certain decisions that you cannot make unless you are elected. I therefore ran for office so I will be able to contribute my quota in helping to come up with laws and policies that can help the governance of my state and the nation at large; laws that can improve the security and development of our nation. Also, the late senator had dedicated his time in the Senate to bringing development to our zone. It’s my desire to take up from where he stopped. That is my motivation and that is what I want to build on at the national level.
Knowing that you are not on the same political page with the governor, don’t you think that your aspiration will be resisted?
I honestly do not know what you mean by that. The governor is a lawyer and at one-time the head of the legal department of the Bauchi State House of Assembly. Therefore, there is no one in Bauchi state that knows exactly the function of the state Assembly and the duties of a legislature than him. This is to tell you that whatever issue I raised or disagreed with on the floor of the House, I was only carrying out what I was elected to do and what I took the oath of office to do. I have no personal problems with the governor and I know he knows that more than anybody else.
As for my aspiration to be truncated by the governor, I don’t think that will happen under the APC government. We haven’t forgotten that this is one of the reasons that brought the PDP government down. I believe APC will want to give a level-playing field for all its aspirants and will not want to go down earlier than the PDP.
If eventually you get the ticket of the APC, what are your chances against other candidates of the other parties?
I will want to believe that our democracy is growing in a way that people will start assessing aspirants based on their previous performances and the qualities of their personalities. Believe me, I have no fear in my mind regarding this contest. I believe we are all searching, but already God has chosen the winner. And I pray it is me.
As a vocal member of Assembly, do you think you will get support from your colleagues to actualise your aspiration?
My colleagues and I have enjoyed a very cordial relationship over the years. They have been very understanding and mostly supportive. They never treated me badly or look down on me. Any argument or different position or opinion we may express on the floor of the house remain there. After that, we become one family again. Though some of them may be aspiring for same position themselves, and some may have their preferred candidates, I believe there are others who will support me even with prayers.
Are Bauchi women politically mature for the seat of a senator?
I don’t like answering gender-based questions, especially the one you are asking now. The constitution of Nigeria talks about ‘persons’ when referring to qualifications for what seat. For you to be talking of ‘if women are mature,’ to me is actually creating room for criticism. But to answer your question straight, I will say ‘yes.’ Bauchi is more than mature for every citizen both male and female to be recognised as contributors to development. Yes, we are mature in recognising our potentialities and capabilities and we will not allow ourselves to be blindfolded gain. The only thing women need all over the country is opportunity to showcase their potentialities.
How will you describe your relationship with the APC in Bauchi State?
Very cordial. Everybody in my state knows that I don’t make any decision without involving APC executive of my council area and that is how it is supposed to be. I carry them along, respect their position and never meddle in their affairs unless they seek for me. The APC leaders at the state level are always informed of any activity I am carrying out and they always send a representative.
What advice do you have for women in politics?
My advice to women politicians is always to have a good motive for joining politics. They should remember that their public conduct will go a long way in determining the chances of other women coming up. We should, therefore, strive to showcase our good qualities and carry ourselves with dignity and be modest. For long, women in politics have been stereotyped as wayward, probably due to the way most of them behave or allow themselves to be handled. But Alhamdulilah, a lot has changed since then I can say. People have to understand that women join politics for a purpose just like men.
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