Does it feel like a dream that you would become a member of the house of assembly in Lagos State come May 29?
No, it doesn’t feel like a dream. But then, I wouldn’t say I was sure I was going to win in the last election; it was actually a 50/50 thing. I knew I had done all I should do. I had spoken to the people and I had reached out to them long before I even decided to contest. I knew the results could go either way. I started with the mindset that whichever way it went, I would have something to fall back on. My major aim has always been to promote my community and take care of my people. If I hadn’t gone into politics or if I hadn’t won, I still would have done something to promote my community. I don’t see politics as a career. It is those who see it as a career that usually run into problems.
How were you able to clinch the ticket during the primaries?
It was a free and fair election. It was open. We had over 100 delegates.
But what could have lured a young lady like you into politics?
It is a thing of the mind. I would also say that politics is in my blood. My dad was a councillor in 1965 even before he became the traditional ruler. I would say politics is something I enjoy doing, I just love it.
So that means your family supported you to get into politics…
My dad is late. How I wish he was alive to witness all this. I grew up in a palace and in the palace, you have all sorts of politics going on there. I learnt a lot while I was growing up.
Would you agree that some people would have the perception that you might have slept with one or two people for you to have got to this stage?
Sure. It is a free world. Those who know me well would also know what I can do. They would also know that I always know what I want in life. It is not about having any godfather out there.
Are you saying you don’t have a godfather?
I don’t have any. If I tell you I have never met Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, you may likely not believe me. I actually met him for the first time a day after my election. That was the day Ambode was declared the winner of the Lagos State governorship election. I purposely didn’t go to see him.
But was it easy all the way?
It wasn’t that easy. It sure wasn’t a child’s play. But one thing that could have worked for me was that I am the first female aspirant in Apapa constituency. I think the feminine edge worked for me. Also, the fact that I am a young person worked for me. The youth supported me.
Were you into activism when you were in the university?
No, I wasn’t really. I would just sit back and watch what was happening. But I was part of the people who would determine the candidate to support. I didn’t come out fully then. But now, I just want to give back something to my constituency. People have a lot of perception about politics. We hear a lot of things about politics. But I would just advise that you listen to people but don’t react to everything you hear. If I had reacted to everything I heard about politics, I may not have been here today. You just listen and pick one or two things that make sense to you. My mindset is that politics is not a do or die affair. I knew I would either win or lose. To me, it wasn’t going to be a big deal as long as I didn’t go to the bank to borrow money for the campaign. Those who borrow money are the kind of people who would do all sorts to win so that they would be able to service their loans. I didn’t go to another person’s territory, I started from my village. My family is known. It was a platform I also rode on.
So how did you get the funds since you didn’t borrow money from the bank?
I got a lot of support from my friends and well wishers. In fact, my friends in the other parties still supported me. They even made souvenirs for me. They know the kind of person I am.
Can you tell us a bit about growing up?
I lived a normal life when I was growing up. I attended public schools when I was growing up. I will not tell anybody I didn’t have shoes when I was growing up. I don’t need to have any experience to know where the shoe pinches. I live around my people and I know what happens on a daily basis. Growing up was interesting. I had everything a child needed to have. There was nothing special about my growing up days. There is nothing special in being a princess. We go to the same market as every other person.
Your father could have afforded to send you abroad to study, why did you go to public schools in Nigeria?
I went to primary and secondary schools in Surulere. I also attended Lagos State University. I wouldn’t know why my parents didn’t let me study abroad. I didn’t ask for it anyway. Maybe they saw something that would eventually keep me here in Nigeria. I didn’t feel any different from the girl next door. We all went to school with the school bus my dad provided for the community. Even after the primaries, people told me I needed security around me. I told them I didn’t have to do that. Getting security attached to me is just exposing myself. Why can’t I walk like a normal person on the streets of Lagos? I have never wanted to live that kind of life. I always prefer to stay at home. The maximum I can do is to go to the cinema and watch a movie. I don’t do parties. I think it is one of the things that have worked for me to remain focused. I don’t have many friends. In fact, I don’t really have friends.
Don’t you think not being social can affect you politically?
I don’t think so. I meet those who are important for me to meet. I just cannot dress up and be roaming the streets of Lagos just because I want people to notice me.
But there must have been times you dropped your father’s name at some point in order to get favours…
The funniest thing is that my siblings use the full name, Lawal-Akapo as their surname. I just decided to end mine at Lawal. I don’t want to ride on any name. I want to make my own name. That has always been my philosophy.
You are not married yet?
I would say I am engaged. We have done the introduction ceremony and we have also gone to the registry. My wedding would be later this year.
How do you intend to combine your new marriage and politics?
They are two different things. My fiancé is also a career person. He has his private business, so I think it will work out well for us. I have never been married. But I think it all depends on the kind of relationship you have with your spouse. I know what he is capable of doing. I know what makes him happy. He is aware that my career is dear to me. I am passionate about my future. He is in support of what I am doing.
But would you have time to cook for him and take care of the home?
We don’t live together yet but I go there on weekends. I always do the cooking any time I go there. You might say I don’t have much to do now but then, I know I will certainly cope when the time comes. When we get to that bridge, we will cross it.
How easy was it for you to choose him as your husband? People might think he came to you because of your father’s status.
I didn’t just know him. We have been together for a long time. He has been a friend of the house. I had known him even before we started having a relationship. I don’t see him as somebody who is with me because of my name. He comes from a popular family too.
Since your father married more than one wife, what kind of relationship did you have with your step siblings while growing up?
I give it to my father; he took charge of his family very well. You could hardly differentiate who came from whose mother. My siblings were even my agents during the election. We are just one happy family. If I didn’t trust them, I wouldn’t have allowed them to be my agents and if they didn’t believe in me, they wouldn’t have supported me all through. We have been together for years.
Do you intend to go higher than this in politics?
Of course I will. This is just a stepping stone. During my campaign, I told my people I wasn’t coming to do roads and give them water and electricity. It is not my job. Some people may not have liked what I said but I was saying the truth. As a legislator, my primary assignment is simply lawmaking. I need to make laws that would protect my people. But I can influence things that I know my people need.
Were you harassed sexually during your campaign by the bigwigs who may have told you they would help you if only you could sleep with them?
That was why I didn’t start from the top. I went to the grassroots; I wanted my people, the ones who I eat together with, to be the ones to determine my fate. That was what happened. The election was free and fair.
