Sen. Patricia Akwashiki, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed optimism that a female governor would emerge in Nigeria in 2019.
Akwashiki expressed the optimism at the PDP national secretariat on Friday in Abuja.
She spoke with newsmen shortly after submission of her nomination and expression of interest forms to seek the party’s governorship ticket in Nasarawa.
The aspirant said that despite the cultural factor affecting females, especially in the northern part of the country, she was poised to break the jinx to be the first female to be governor in Nigeria.
“I agree that it’s been a religious and cultural thing in the North. In 2015, Hajia Aisha Alhassan tried it in Taraba and she almost made it.
“I think it is possible that a woman can be a governor of any part of this country.
“I am the first female to go to the Senate, House of Representatives and the first woman to be given a minister.
“So, I think I will break that jinx and still be the first woman to become a governor in Nigeria.
“It’s not impossible. It is more cultural than religious”.
She urged the people not to mortgage their conscience by selling their votes to money bags politicians.
Akwashiki decried Nasarawa State’s over-reliance on the federation account.
She said there was the need to harness its untapped natural resources and closeness to the Federal Capital Territory to improve its Internally Generated Revenue.
Akwashiki said that PDP Nasarawa had learnt its lesson from the past elections and was ready to do the right thing to win in the 2019 general elections.
“We have learnt our lessons. Where we have done things with impunity, we have apologised and we are also begging people,” she said.
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Another gubernatorial aspirant from Kwara, Mohammed Ajia, advised Nigerian youths to take advantage of their numerical strength to vote young people into elective positions in 2019.
Ajia, who also submitted his nomination and expression of interest forms, said it was high time the youth stopped complaining or taking the back seat in politics.
He said they should get involved to contribute their quota to national development.
“2019 is our time, we should take advantage of it; we have the number, we have the strength.
“We should support ourselves. If we do this, nobody can stop us.
“We have said that we the young people; we shall actualise our struggles by contesting for elective positions in various political parties, and by so doing, we can impact on our people.
“Complaining at the backside will not solve the situation of Nigeria.
“So, I enjoin all the people Kwara State and Nigeria at large to be active in politics, so that we will be able to contribute our quota and Nigeria will be a better country,” Ajia said.
He expressed confidence that credible candidates would emerge in Kwara, as the party leaders, including the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, had pledged to conduct credible primaries.
“Issues of endorsing anybody is not the issue, the popular candidate will emerge for Kwara State,” he said.