By Azuka Ogujiuba
Media Room Hub in partnership with BBC and Pulse News hosted the House of Representatives Eti-Osa Constituency debate among the five candidates on Monday February 4 at the Civic Centre Victoria Island, Lagos.
The epoch-making debate was the first of its kind organised for candidates representing the interest of the people who craved to exercise their franchise on who will represent them at the federal level.
According to the CEO Media Room Hub, Azuka Ogujiuba, the political debate was aimed at providing the electorates the needed information to scale the suitability of the candidates.
“The legislature is the closest government to the people. It is amazing how we have not given enough attention to it. They make laws that affect every arm of government”.
Among the four candidates were Olubankole Wellington also known as Banky W of the Modern Democratic Party (MDP); Ibrahim Obanikoro of APC; Ferdinand Adimefe of Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN); Omotesho Tony Bakare (PDP) and Tessy Owolabi of Social Democratic Party (SDP).
With this platform, the candidates stand the chance of better convincing the electorates of their manifestoes.
Olubankole Wellington is aged 37. He is a musician, actor and politician under the auspices of the MDP founded in 2017, the same year he declared interest.
The popular R&B artiste was born in the United States to Nigerian parents. He had his primary and secondary education in Nigeria and tertiary education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York on a scholarship.
Running under the canopy of the ruling party APC, Ibrahim Obanikoro is 35 years old. He is the son of a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.
Obanikoro contested chairmanship position of Ikoyi/Obalende Local Council Development Area on two occasions under the PDP and failed before he ported to APC where he won the ticket.
Ferdinand, the 35 years old candidate of ANN is a writer and entrepreneur. He is an alumnus of University of Port-Harcourt and Pan-Atlantic University where he studied Human Anatomy and Masters respectively.
Adimefe was a host of the popular TV show, Rubbin’ Minds on Channels TV and resident guest on Smooth 96.1 FM’s Freshly Pressed. He is also the Executive Officer of Imaginarium Creative Global.
Omotesho is 50 years old. He is representing the PDP. He had both his primary and secondary school education at the Nigerian Model Schools, Idi-Oro Lagos. He is a graduate of Business Administration from Federal Polytechnic, llaro, Ogun State.
He was in the financial sector at Pacific Merchant Bank and Pinnacle Merchant Bank. He also worked with other institutions such as True Foods Nigeria Limited, MICON Engineering and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) among others.
