The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the House of Representatives election in Epe Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Noheem Balogun, at the commissioning of community projects in Epe Local Government Area, said that his motivation is to give his people quality representation and to ensure that through his inputs, the people of his constituency would no longer be far from government.
Balogun said that in line with the motto of his campaign organisation ‘Imole Dee,’ his motivation to represent his people was altruistic and never self-serving.
According to Balogun: “It is difficult to convince people that one means well when one aspires to any political office because of the way some people have tented it. The recent issue of delegates and the story of inducements that attended the conventions of some of the parties seem to be conveying a wrong message to our people.
“I am in this race for the good of my people. Our people have lacked quality representation over the years. Year-in-year-out it appears we have nobody in the House of Representative. Issues that affect our people are not being brought to the fore of the lower chamber. It is high time we changed that negative narrative, hence the pursuit for ‘Mandate of Clarity 2023.’
“It is a mandate of clarity because we have a clear thought about what we are going to do in the House of Representative. If you are not convinced about a mission, it is unlikely something positive would come out of that mission. But when you are as definite as I am about my mission, my people will rejoice at the end of the day. It is not about Imole Dee; it is about the people of my constituency that have over the years borne the brunt of neglect and deprivation, even though they have been having representatives all these years.”
He added that he ventured into politics because of the marginalisation of his constituents, saying that no blink of light for about 6 years or thereabout in Epe division but took his intervention to reinstall light back to Epe communities and he was nicknamed ‘Imole Dee’.
He said that he had trained and empowered over 2,000 youths with start up tools, constructed two culverts and repaired several boreholes across the nooks and crannies of the Epe division, noting that over 320 solar streetlights had been provided for the people of the constituency without been in power of authority.
He said all these were done with his personal resources, promising that he would do more if he was elected to represent the constituency with public or constituency funds, noting that he has no other place he could call his home aside Epe division.
Asked if the platform (PDP) he has chosen would help him to realise the mandate at the election, he said that the Nigerian electorate no longer vote on the basis of party, but on individual’s capacity and competence.
“Days were when success in elections in Nigeria were determined by what party you belonged. Today, I must tell you, Nigerians are becoming more politically enlightened than they were even in 2019. It is now what you can do as an individual. It is about what the people think you can do; who they think you are. It is about competence; it is about capability. 2023 will shock many people,” he said.