Encomium
HON. Tunde Buraimoh is the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Kosofe Constituency II seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly election for Saturday, April 11, 2015.
The former chairman of Kosofe Local Government Council defeated eight other aspirants (including the incumbent, Hon. Ajibayo Adeyeye, the Majority Leader of Lagos House of Assembly) to clinch the party’s ticket.
He told ENCOMIUM Weekly in this interview about his preparation for the election and how he will defeat the three other candidates of the other political parties to win the seat. He told us he would win the election with a wide margin.
Let us start by congratulating you for winning your party’s ticket.
Thank you very much.
We gathered it was tough for you winning your party’s ticket. You want to share the experience with us?
It wasn’t easy because there were many equally qualified people in our party. We have many high caliber members available for any elective post. It is expected that the competition will be stiff for anyone to win any elective position in such party. The ticket for Kosofe Constituency II seat in the lagos House of Assembly was contested for by nine people who are eminently qualified. That was what happened.
How has the electioneering campaign been?
It has been okay. But for the postponement, the election would have been done and over by now. It has been expensive and tedious. The longer it is, the more energy sapping it has become.
So, you don’t see the postponement as a blessing in disguise?
The postponement was unnecessary. It was a decoy by Jonathan to perpetuate himself in office. It was not okay at all. It was senseless in all ramifications. In the first instance, the military does not have a major role in the elections. Elections are civil matters. They are not war affairs. Election matters should be the functions of the police and not of the military.
Has the postponement added to your campaign costs?
Definitely. Enormously too. It has made it more expensive. We are trying to make democracy less expensive in Nigeria, but with what the president has done, it is becoming more and more expensive.
Can you give us the conservative estimate of what you have spent so far for your electioneering campaign?
It is very difficult to quantify. Don’t forget that I have friends, well wishers and sympathizers who have contributed a lot to the campaign in terms of materials like souvenirs, posters, bill boards and so on. So, it is very difficult to quantify.
How many are your opponents?
PDP fielded a candidate, AD (Alliance for Democracy) fielded a candidate. From what I know, about three or four candidates.
What do you think your chances are amongst these other candidates?
None of them had a primary election. That is to show you how small they are. Some of them were literarily begged by their parties to contest. You cannot compare them to our party (APC), where nine high caliber candidates contested for the party ticket. That shows you the size of my party.
We are big in terms of everything – people and spread. Our party is very large and the membership is very intimidating. Everywhere we go, people troop out to welcome us. People are really, really receptive of our party going by the way they welcome us to their places.
There is no doubt going by the warm receptions we have had so far during our campaign, we are going to win by a landslide. Not only in my constituency, but in the whole of Lagos State and by the grace of God, the whole of the country.
How large is your constituency?
My constituency is very large. It consists of two LCDAs (Local Council Development Authority) and so many localities. There is Ikosi/Isheri North, Magodo Phase I and II, Ikosi, Olowoira, Ketu, Agboyi-Ketu, Ajegunle and so many other localities.
Do you nurse any fear?
Without being immodest and over confident, I do not nurse any fear at all about my party and my own victory at the poll. By the grace of God, we have no fear at all that with free and fair election, we will win the election with very wide margin.
– TOLANI ABATTI
