The newly inaugurated Member of the House of Representatives, Shina Peller, has admitted that he wasn’t certain he would win she he contested to represent Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola Federal Constituency in Oyo State.

Speaking with our correspondent yesterday, Peller, who represented the All Progressives Congress in the last general elections, said it was always hard to run against an incumbent in Nigeria.

He stated,

“With the way things are in Nigeria, someone like me shouldn’t be in politics. I didn’t think I would win. My expectation was that once I tried and failed, I would have satisfied everyone who had urged me to join politics. Also, once I failed, I knew I would not run for a political position again. But with the result, it showed that people who had asked me to join politics were right. The result was unprecedented; I didn’t lose a polling unity in Iseyin. I even won the polling unit of my stepfather, the PDP chairman in Oyo, and the then incumbent House of Representatives member ( Abiodun Olasupo).”

He insisted that going forward, he would never step down from politics, saying it was about interest and commitment.

He added,

I had once said in an interview that if they saw my legs in politics, they should cut them because I never thought of venturing into politics at a time. My businesses were working for me and I had plans to expand Quilox Nightclub to other countries. But people from my constituency urged me to go into politics, including the Aseyin of Iseyin and the Alaafin of Oyo. Also, different political parties came to talk to me too.”

The chief executive officer of Aquila Group of Companies urged youths to show interest in politics, insisting that he was ready to follow anyone to different parts of the country to campaign.

Peller further said,

“When President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigerian youths were lazy, he said that because we have refused to take up challenges. We are always active during elections but go to bed afterwards. I believe youths need to participate more in politics because decisions made by the leaders will always affect our lives.

“In the next general elections, I want to see a lot of youths in politics. I am ready to put myself out there to campaign outside my constituency. I want to follow a youth to Nasarawa for a campaign but everything starts now. The kind of structure we put on the ground now will make us achieve that.”

Speaking on his plans for his constituency in Oyo, Peller stated that he would propose bills targeted at impacting on the life of a common man.

He added,

“I want to be called the voice of the common man. Starting from my constituency, I believe we can build Nigeria and we have to start from the bottom. Whatever we can build from pour constituency can make a major impact in the nation itself. I want to create a winning formula for people to replicate in their various constituencies. I want to create a land where oneness and unity reign because when you have these two, businesses will definitely thrive.”