By Osaruonamen Ibizugbe
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, political actors across various groups have begun strategizing to ensure timely readiness for the elections, which many believe will greatly impact the Nation’s socio-economic projections. This is as the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC recently released the list of candidates for the general elections.
Barrister Juliet Isi Ikhayere is one of the 288 women contesting for positions in the House of Representatives out of a total of 3,122 candidates, and she is the ADC candidate for the AMAC/ Bwari federal Constituency. In this interview conducted by Laraba Murey for Tuesday Politics, a Nigeria newspaper, on the 26t of July 2022, the ADC candidate called for an inclusive representational system as she promises to advance the inclusion of youths and women if elected.
Ikhayere noted that her campaign agenda is targeted toward social justice, equity, good governance and honest leadership, adding that she intends to achieve these through the introduction of bills and motions that are geared toward giving voices to the voiceless in society. She believes she possesses the capacity to introduce laws and policies that would translate to rapid development in her constituency if she emerges the winner.
The legal practitioner promised to bring fresh ideologies into the system that bring about transformational change across all sectors. “And I knew it embodies everything about me, but it’s good that you start, and people will be able to be drawn to your ideologies, and these ideologies are that we go in there.
“You get to push for bills that apply to the common good of man in the society and also advocate for an all-inclusive government. “When we constantly push for a divide-and-rule system of government, it takes us nowhere.”
Speaking further, she vowed to be religiously blind, ethnically blind, and gender-responsive in performing the functions of her office.
“People will need a leader who will listen to their cries. We have situations where people are violated and people’s rights abused, but they just need somebody who will be able to reach out to them and advocate for their rights.”
“I will have people on board who will take the needs of the people down to the National Assembly and be able to agitate their cause to know that somebody is steering the cause of society in a larger space. It has not been done before,” she said.
Barr Ikhayere urges Nigerians to look beyond their biases stating that the Nation’s challenges will not limit her active participation in the electoral process leading to the 2023 general elections.