Nigerian expats in Qatar rally in support of female parliamentary candidate
NIGERIAN elections are among the most expensive in the world, with costs increasing from slightly more than $2 million in 1999 to more than $409 million in 2019. The cost of elections in Nigeria has surpassed that of the world’s largest democracy, India, which has a population six times that of Nigeria.
This trend has made it difficult for candidates to run for elective offices. The prices of forms for presidential and other elective offices in the country’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are unbelievable. For 2023 the cost of election are expected to be even higher. This is a challenge for Eunice Atuejide, a female presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2019 elections who is now running for a parliamentary seat in the country’s federal legislative body on behalf of the ruling party.
During a recent visit to Qatar, where she met a diverse group of Nigerians, Atuejide shared her vision and stated that if the Nigerian diaspora takes her on as a project, she will be unstoppable ahead of the 2023 General Election.
Atuejide is running in the APC primaries for Anambra State’s Igbo-Etiti and UzoUwani Federal Constituency in the May 24, 2022 poll, hoping to raise her profile in preparation for her ultimate goal of becoming President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The 42-year old Solicitor of England and Wales and Barrister in Nigeria said, “I know that if the diaspora sees me as a project to be taken into government, nobody will be able to stop me.”
Concerning the funding of her upcoming election, she said, “It is not possible for me to fund it myself given the current state of Nigeria. Thank you for your assistance thus far, and I hope that people in the diaspora will begin to notice and support my dreams and projects.”
Atuejide thanked the party for lowering the registration fee for female candidates to one million Naira, as opposed to ten million Naira for male candidates.
Abo Neneth Chebib is one of those in the Nigerian community who has supported Atuejide. She said that more women are needed in Nigeria’s government. Women make excellent leaders and managers. Some of my favourite references are Germany’s Angela Merkel and, without a doubt, Sheikha Moza of Qatar, who has done overwhelmingly well in how she has managed the country’s education system and her initiatives in creating family welfare structures.
“I cannot be more proud of the bold steps some of our great and smart women are taking. I was honoured and elated to be a part of the Nigerian diaspora in Qatar who came together to pull funds for Eunice’s campaign recently.”
“With her legal background, she has what it takes to succeed, and I am confident that if Atuejide is given the opportunity to serve, Nigeria will be a better place,” she added.
“I am proud to be part of the project to support a good leader and one who brings people together and defies partisan and ethnic politics,” said Princewill Mbah, a Nigerian in Qatar.
The legal practitioner said that one of her priorities would be to transform how laws are made in the country, “I understand legislative processes to a very great extent, and I see what our people are doing, and I feel there’s another element to legislative processes that a lot of them are overlooking.
“Many bills are struck down because people do not lobby before they come for the first, second, or third reading, or whatever stage they are struck down at. So my plan is to go in there and pick up those bills that I believe will help the country progress toward becoming the developed country that it should be.”
Speaking of areas in which she will work for her constituency, which has the same problems as every other constituency in Nigeria, she said: “The outbreak of violence in our country, particularly in the South East, has become a source of misery, embarrassment, and shame to every well-meaning Nigerian.”
“I will work hard to support the implementation of laws, policies, and regulations to assist our security agencies in ensuring better security of life and property across the length and breadth of our communities.
Another area Atuejide plans to work on is determining how to ensure the enforceability of laws. She went on to say that after researching some of Nigeria’s laws, she discovered that the country has some amazing laws, but people don’t follow them because there is no enforcement.