Prominent Nigerian actress-turned-politician Funke Akindele has shared her political aspirations after her earlier attempt was unsuccessful.
NewsClick Nigeria recalls that she served as the running mate to Abdulazeez Adediran, the governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State during the 2023 elections.
After their defeat by Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Akindele removed all politically related content from her social media accounts.
However, in a recent interview during the first live edition of the ‘WithChude’ podcast, the actress, who had been quiet about political issues since 2023, revealed her intention to run for office again.
She said: “I need to support. I need to give back. That’s why I went into politics. Getting into it, seeing violence, and shouting, then I started watching female politicians like Mummy Abike Dabiri and co. The way they speak, and command respect and authority. I’m like, you too go, you can do it.
“And I stood and spoke. I learnt that from there that you have to be bold, courageous, and strong. What would be would be. Fear will only put you in a place. So, all this I learnt from doing politics, and I got to know a lot of numbers. I got educated more and acquired more knowledge. You know, I’m reading more and knowing more about my country and my state. When I want to speak, I speak with statistics data. So, I’m glad that I went into politics. And ask me if I am going to do it again? Oh, yes”.