Mallam Mukthar Shagaya, the youngest son of the business mogul, Hajia Muinat Bola Shagaya, has declared his intention to contest for the Ilorin West/Asa federal constituency seat in the House of Representatives in the 2023 general elections under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The aspirant, who is the fifth son of one of the richest women in Africa, is an entrepreneur in the power sector.

Addressing a crowd of supporters in the constituency at a program organized by his political movement (Mukthar Shagaya Movement) in Ilorin at the weekend, Mukthar Sagaya, flanked by his brothers, said that youth employment and effective representation for grassroots development would be his focus when he gets elected into office.

He said his aspiration was to contribute his quota to the development of his constituency and secure quality and better representation for his constituents.

Mukthar, who said that his service to the people of the constituency would be a collective responsibility, adding that “we are going to utilize our resources for the benefit of the people”.

He sought the support of the people for his aspiration as well as the APC ahead of the 2023 general elections and promised that Ilorin West and Asa federal constituency would change the narrative if given the opportunity to serve the people

He charged youth in the state to register in the ongoing voters’ registration exercise and get their Personal Voters Card (PVC) to enable them to vote for credible candidates in the forthcoming elections, saying that, “PVC is the microphone to express yourself in order to get your voice heard.”

Also speaking, one of his older brothers and Special Adviser on Investment to Kwara state governor, Mallam Kabir Sagaya, said that the family, before now, had been championing youth empowerment and spreading the voice of the youth through different foundations

“Sheriff Sagaya Foundation, Mukthar Sagaya Movement and Voice of Tomorrow Movement, and all other movements are focused on PVC and making sure that the voice of youth is heard. We make sure we encourage people to get their PVC and with the number of people that are with their PVC here today, it shows that your voice should be in an organized manner. PVC is not just a piece of paper. It’s a microphone to express yourself to people that are actually representing you at different levels.

He described his brother as a patient, wise, and accommodating individual, saying that, “he knows how to take people’s problems as his.

“I advise him to keep it up and improve on it when he, by the grace of God, get to power in order to give good representation at the federal level. I cannot single out a better candidate to represent the people of Ilorin West and Asa constituency than Mallam Mukthar Sagaya.”

Also speaking, Mallam Hakim Sagaya, said that “we’ve been working with young people at the local level for a long time because actually, we’re the majority of the population. Everyone here has PVC. At the heart of our movement, you must have a PVC registration card

“Young people have to stop being online and be on the street to connect with the people. When you get your PVC you can vote for the candidate you want. There should not be any excuses or accusations that one political leader is not performing well to your expectation. If you want to have changed, you should be the change you want to see. So, everyone should get their PVC and vote for the right candidates at different levels. I encourage young people to come out and vote. It’s our youngest brother that’s running. We have deliberately picked the youngest among us to show as an example, that even as young as we are, our youngest brother should lead the way because we can rally around him and give him support.

On the area of focus in the constituency, Mallam Sagaya said that “It’s a spectrum of issues. At the heart of it is job creation. Youth should be meaningfully engaged. No amount of money given to people can be enough, except you provide work. Power is also important, especially in the area of renewable energy

In his own words, another older brother to the aspirant, Mallam Sheriff Sagaya, also emphasized the importance of PVC in a democracy.

Hundreds of decampees from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Action Alliance (AA), and the Social democratic party (SDP) were received into the APC by the Special Adviser on Politics to the governor, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Alakawa, at the symposium