First female presidential aspirant, Uju Ohanenye, picks APC forms

Presidential aspirants on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), increased on Thursday with the first female aspirant, Uju Ohanenye, purchasing the party’s Expression of Interest and Nomination forms in Abuja.

Shortly after picking up the forms at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, Ohanenye told journalists that she would not allow herself to be intimidated by male aspirants to chicken out of the presidential race.

“My fear is that men will want to muscle me out, but I am standing firmly for the people I am here to protect.

“They will want to push me over, but I cannot be intimidated. I have been emboldened,’’ she said.

Ohanenye, an Abuja-based legal practitioner and business woman who described herself as a fearless advocate for the common man, the women, youths and the physically challenged, said there was the need to involve the masses in the governance of the country and to create job opportunities for the teaming unemployed youths.

She added that like the party’s male presidential aspirants, she also has what it takes to lead the country to the next phase of development.

“It is so obvious and all of us know that it is time for a mother to come on board. As it is today, considering the state of insecurity in the country and other things, children need motherly care; we can understand that from their attitude.

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“I have never been a politician, but because of what I have seen, I just felt I should come on board.

“The major solution I am bringing on board is to involve the commoners and the less privileged in the governance of the country,’’ she added.

She, however, said she would only consider withdrawing from the race for any aspirant who shares her vision and desire to address the growing poverty and insecurity in the country.

“I don’t really care if any other person other than I takes up the responsibility, but the person must be one who will look into solving the problems of Nigeria.

“Lack of love, selfishness and bias are the causes of insecurity; people no longer feel any sense of belonging or reason to live. Those issues concerning the downtrodden must be addressed,” she said.

But many Nigerians have been wondering who Ohanenye really is as her name has not really been prominent in the political space.

Checks by Ripples Nigeria reveals that Ohanenye is not only a well accomplished lawyer but a philanthropist and busines entrepreneur who is passionate about the downtrodden in the society especially the disabled and the vulnerable people, with a passion for touching lives of people at the grassroots.

In a recent interview, she was quoted as saying:

“I have built numerous health centres, provided capital to young people and women in local communities and provided access through direct labour under my watch.

“It might surprise you that these roads which serves as feeder roads, were done using cheap labour at the grassroots; we have them as engineers and all they need is to identify and empower them, and billions saved for other purposes.”

On one occassion, she was said to have paid a random visit to a disabled living in an abandoned apartment, and out of pity, she mobilizes a team to the area, and in 24 hours, made sure the tenant tasted freedom and became a landlord despite his broken limbs.

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