Opposition to Tinubu, APC in Lagos an illusion - Ogbara

• Published date: 21 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

Alhaja Kafilat Ogbara is the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives candidate in Kosofe Federal Constituency of Lagos State for the February 25, 2023 National Assemblies election. She is also the National Coordinator of Women in Nigeria for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (WIN4ABAT) and Lagos State Secretary, Southwest Agenda for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (SWAGA'23). In this interview with 'Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, the APC chieftain debunked claims that the APC faces strong opposition in Lagos state ahead of the next general elections. Excerpts.

You joined the APC from the PDP in 2014. At what point did you decide to gun for the party's House of Representatives ticket in your constituency and why?

I joined APC in 2015. I was in PDP before then and I have been contesting for the same position on the platform of the PDP. I was the PDP candidate in 2003 and 2007 in Kosofe federal constituency. I have been at it since then. When I joined APC, I have been very active within the party. I have supported the party in many ways and participated in its activities as a member of several committees within and outside the state.

Beyond that, I have always had that passion to represent my people at the National Assembly. It has been a twenty year journey for me. Now that I got the ticket in APC, it is dream come true. I never stopped dreaming of going to the House of Representatives to represent Kosofe federal constituency. I did not contest election immedialey I joined APC. I took my time to study the terrain. I realized the need to defer to the people I met in the party and learn from them. There were elections in 2015 and 2019, I didn't contest then. I waited. I studied and understood the terrain.

Why did you dump the PDP for the APC?

Before joining APC, I had always admired the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is today the presidential candidate of the party. I had always wished I had a leader like him. I used to tell my party leaders then to emulate some of the things he did. He is always ahead of others when it comes to progressive ideas and actions. In AP, there are numerous experienced and progressive politicians. I have benefited greatly from working with them. The party also saw me as a good material. After the 2019 elections, I was given a position at the Lagos State Audit Service Commission as one of the Commissioners.

I proved my mettle there before resigning to contest the primary election. I knew very well that there...