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An aspirant for the Ilorin East/Ilorin South federal constituency seat in the House of Representatives under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state, Mr Abdulwaheed Jimmy Idiagbon, has said that politics to him is a form of protest to correct the wrongs in the society.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin at the weekend, the APC chieftain said the way to bring up credible Nigerian leaders is for youth to participate in politics and register to vote in the next general elections.
“Politics for me is a form of protest; a protest against all that’s wrong with us as a country; a protest against the direction our captains are facing; and a protest against every bad thing that’s happening to us, even though we don’t deserve them”, he said.
The House of Representatives’ aspirant, who is re-contesting after his 2019 experience, said that, “it is not just the popular electorate, but the party members who participate in the party primaries that are the heroes and villains of this country.
“To turn it back on time, we must do all we can to win and be on the table when the Nigerian fate is being determined.
“That works better than protesting on the streets and getting harassed. Anyone that will change the Nigerian fortune have to be among those who control the money, the media, etc.
“And that’s why I have to keep trying. The protest in me does not rest, but the precocious wisdom in me also knows that an individual can’t do what a government can do.
And that’s why I’m joining the government. I want to bring the “representation” back into “representative” for our people.”
Idiagbon, who emphasised that partisan politics is not what Nigerian youth should detest, said that, “soon enough, each major party in Nigeria will gather for their conventions, where they’ll choose their leaders, and that leadership, with all other party faithfuls, will put forward their candidates.
“If you have been paying attention, you’d see that all across our media platforms, national TVs, national dailies, radio stations, and social media platforms discussions have always been about people who belong in either of these two major parties: PDP and APC.
“Beyond that, they are also the only parties with established structures and foot armies that can take their message far and wide.
“This means, it isn’t just the popular electorate but the party members who participate in the party primaries that are the heroes and villains of this country, because whoever they put forward as their flag bearers are almost the only options we have to choose from.
“Of course, other parties and candidates exist. But we already know that they are far away from being victorious at the poll. So, with each day the supposed good men fail to get in power, our ship drifts farther and farther away into collapse”, he said.
Idiagbon, who said that for whatever happened in 2019 to his ambitions, the fight for a better Kwara state continues, adding that, “if the representatives from various constituency(ies) can complement the good work of our governor, that would help us move fast”.
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