Akinniyi Olawale is the All Progressives Congress (APC), aspirant vying to represent Akinyele Local Government in Oyo State House of Assembly. In this interview with Anu Oyeleye, he speaks on why he is in the race and the chances of his political party winning the 2023 gubernatorial election
What makes you the ideal candidate to represent Akinyele Local Government in the coming election?
I am qualified because I’m a strong advocate for good governance and youth participation in politics. I’m not entirely new in politics and so I understand what our people need, particularly my people in Akinyele Local Government. I’m a firm believer of youths in politics. I think it is high time for youths to fully participate in politics. I mean, we can’t keep complaining without doing anything. I believe that the emergence of youths in elective positions will facilitate new ideas that will improve the lives of Nigerians. Although, the idea of soliciting for the support of the party leaders, members of executives and others is capable of turning some off, I think it is time for the youths to take the bull by the horn. Nigeria has many brilliant and educated youths with strong potentials but are nowhere to be found in politics. They all need to join because politics is not solely about education, it is about mobilisation. Youths need to participate to become front runners.
If elected, what would you do differently to create the much needed impact in your community?
Personally, I have the agenda of drastically reducing unemployment in my community. Solving this issue doesn’t have to be through western schooling. There are many uneducated and semi-educated members of the community that needs to be empowered. I am so passionate about reducing unemployment because I think it is the major crux of challenges we are facing in this country. If people have a good source of livelihood, there would be less crime. Well, I have had the privilege of representing my community at the Federal level under the youth parliament and my focus has been on quality representation and constituency outreach. I believe that with my experience and zeal to make things better, if elected, my constituency will experience a greater level of development.
The terrain is getting busier as we move closer to the general elections, how do you handle the hate messages which have become the substitute for issue based politics among politicians?
There is no way to run from hate comments about you because other people are vying for the same position. And, we all have different interests, sometimes even within the same party. So, I believe that negative comments are normal. It is part of politics. For me, I just focus and don’t dwell on trivialities. In 2018 when I vied for this same position, the total list of aspirants within the APC Oyo State was 425 and there was just 50 positions to fill across board. So, you see that hate comments is almost inevitable because there are many people involved. My advice is for politicians to always comport themselves and focus.
In your opinion, why is it that even when there are quality politicians, sometimes they fall short of expectation in terms of performance?
In my experience, I have found that things sometimes change when you get to position. Sometimes people are faced with more than they bargained for.
In what ways do you think the recent defection of notable persons from APC affect the chances of the party winning the coming election?
I have mentioned earlier that because there are many people involved in politics, there are often aggrieved parties due to non alignment of interests. If you examine the influx and outflux, you would see that APC has been able to attract strong executives from the opposition which could also pose as a threat to their emergence. So, its vice versa.
Are you not worried that the flagbearer, Senator Teslim Folarin do not seem popular with the professionals in the State?
To win in politics depends on how you can manage people. I believe the current gubernatorial candidate has a high chance of winning because of his past record. He has served as a two term senator and he is currently serving for the third time. He is very good at negotiation, reconciliation and knows how to align interest. He knows the nitty gritty of politics in Oyo State. I think he has the experience and the full capacity to win. In fact, I think he is unbeatable.