Oyo South Accord Party Senatorial Candidate Promises Adequate Representation

The candidate of the Accord Party for the Oyo South Senatorial District in the 2023 elections, Kolapo Kola-Daisi, has said one of his intentions for contesting the seat is to give adequate representation to youths whom he says are very critical to nation-building.

Kola-Daisi, who spoke during a media parley where he discussed his mission for venturing into politics, noted that he would change the narrative of empowering youths and women, saying politicians must learn to move away from mere distribution of motorcycles, dryers and deep freezers, to distribution of things that would meet more of their needs and impact them better.

He noted that youth empowerment and economic emancipation of the country would be his priority if elected as a senator, Kola-Daisi said the country had to get to the level where the needs of the people were tailored to the solutions and empowerments they are provided with.

He stated: “One thing we have noticed is that our people have not really seen adequate representation in the Senate. They don’t know what their senators do and they don’t see them. I have promised them regular engagement to know what the issues are, what ideas they have and we want to propose laws that have direct impact on the people.I tell my constituents that a vote for me is a vote for effective representation and I will be accessible, accountable and responsible.”

While saying that he would also ensure that bills aimed at empowering youths were adequately and quickly passed into law, Kola-Daisi disclosed that he had experience in fund raising, mentoring and working with young people to help them achieve their goals, saying those are some of the things he planned to do when he began to serve the constituents.

The 44-year-old chartered banker, in addressing the issue of his stint in partisan politics being very short, said politics is one of those paths one takes without necessarily having to rise through the ranks, asserting that although a lot of people believe that one has to have been successful in other aspects of life before going into politics, there is the law called not-too-young-to-rule.

He said: “The age limit to be president, according to that law, is 40 years. So, if there is a law in the country that says you only need to be 40 with only secondary school certificate to run as president, then at 44, why should I be thinking that I need to start in a small position before I run for Senate?

“If you look across the world, particularly in Europe, you will see that presidents and prime ministers are very young people. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, got to power at 39 years. We have one of the youngest female prime ministers in Finland in the person of Sanna Marin. She got to office at 33 years. These are leaders that are not only young but have done very well where they have been tested,” Kola-Daisi explained.

He asserted that he had the requisite experience, having been in employment since 2000 and having worked in various capacities in the financial sector, saying he would be 64 in 20 years and would be part of those who would suffer the consequences if he made a wrong decision, as a senator.

Kola-Daisi said: “When it comes to politics, experience counts and experience outside politics also counts. I don’t believe I should have started from any other position. What you should be asking me is why I am not running for president.”

He admonished the people to vote out politicians who are not performing for the sake of the advancement and development of various constituencies, saying all politicians who canvass for votes but disappear for the the next four years after being voted in, only to reappear when it is time for another election, should be voted out.

N.O