President, Olusegun Obasanjo is set to contest the Lagos
governorship elections on the platform of the All Progressives
Congress (APC)
The stepdaughter of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo is following
in his footsteps with a foray into politics.
Mrs Adetokunbo Tobun-Agbesanwa is the daughter of Major Moji
Adekunle-Obasanjo and Chief Adekunle Tobun and she is set to contest
the 2015 Lagos governorship elections.
The intending candidate is currently a Senior Special Assistant to
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and she is set to contest on
the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
She spoke about her aspirations in an interview with Tribune Newspaper,
Excerpts below:
How did your parents influence your involvement in politics?
My parents played a great role in my development and my passion for
politics. I wanted to study law but found myself studying political science.
My father, Chief Adekunle Tobun's activities during the Third Republic,
when he contested for the gubernatorial primaries and the campaigns then,
gave me a lot to learn and think about.
My late mother, Major Moji Adekunle-Obasanjo, gave me all the support
and opportunity to utilise my knowledge and, at every instance, continued
to boost my self-esteem. I am very lucky to have such great personalities
as parents.
Women in politics are often considered as wayward and are often
abused by their male counterparts. How has your experience been so
far? What are your regrets?
There is no gainsaying the fact that in our society, women have great
obstacles in attaining political positions. These are socio-economic factors
rather than physical. There have been arguments that women themselves
frustrate the chances of their colleagues at securing elective offices, while
another argument is that male politicians manipulate the system to the
detriment of women.
In many cases, women are discouraged by late night meetings and women
who attend have been labeled prostitutes. I believe, however, that politics
is not the only arena where we have wayward women or sexual
harassment. It pervades the society; schools, the corporate world –
everywhere. Politics is an aspiration to serve; it is not do or die.
What gives you the impression that the time is ripe for a female
governor in Lagos State, given its political sophistication, ethnic
heterogeneity and the historical reality of male dominance in Lagos
politics?
I could go on and on in answering this. But, I will try my best to
summarise the issues. First, as with any endeavour or responsibility, the
eligibility of any individual aspiring for any job or position is measured
by his credentials and suitability for the job.
The constitution provides that a person shall be eligible for the office of
governor if he or she is a citizen of Nigeria by birth, at least 35 years of
age; is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political
party. There is no provision for gender discrimination in this article.
Consequently, I believe I even have more than enough requirements for
the job.
Women's participation in politics – not only in Lagos State but in Nigeria
– has been very poor due to a lot of factors that have nothing to do with
the physical constitution of the female gender. That is the reason I truly
identify with my party, the APC, which has as its slogan, 'change.
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