QT: At what age did you develop this interest?
Godiya: Well, I don’t know if it was a childish thought. But at nine years old, I told my dad I wanted to become the first female governor in Kaduna State. It felt like a joke. He didn’t take it as a joke. He encouraged me and said if I don’t become the first female governor, he knows that I will be in politics and I’m going to make a great impact. At 17, I became politically conscious. So I have been engaged in political activities from 17 years old until date. I am still in it. And I know that with that dream, I am going to get there. Even if I don’t eventually become the first female governor of my state, I know that I will be something great in politics.
.QT: Well, you have tested your acceptance in the last PDP primary election. But lost out, how did you feel?
Godiya: Well, I didn’t lose in the first place; it is not a loss to me. I invested in it. I’m supposed to feel down but I trained myself to understand the scenario that politics is a game of interest. So, of course, there was betrayal, lies that are conceived coercively in it. But, it is all that we get from politics. So I understand those aspects. I know that it was an investment I did, I have gotten a large amount of acceptability from my people. I gained a lot of contacts. I got to meet a lot of people. I feel I gained, I did not lose. It’s a game to me.
QT: How many of you contested and how many votes did you get?
Godiya: We were 11 in number, and I came fifth out of the 11 contestants.
QT: How many votes did you get?
Godiya: I got one vote. We shared 30 votes from 30 delegates, and I came out with one vote.
QT: How did you feel getting a single vote?
Godiya: It was an awesome experience, like I felt whole and I owe it to the person who gave me the vote. It’s something to hold onto. I felt encouraged that at least there’s somebody that likes me. Out of so many betrayals, there is this one person that believed in me. It’s a great success for me.
QT: You are 29, and looking at your age, what really was your message to the people to the extent that you got that single vote?
Godiya: While going round talking to the delegates, I told them there is a need for us to take another dimension. We have been focusing on what I call the status quo. It’s been constant, the idea is sacrosanct. Why not take another dimension?
QT: What dimension?
Godiya: Checking on the woman aspect, don’t they think that a woman will be able to take care of the house better? In normal day-to-day life, a woman is in charge of the house. If the house is good, the woman takes the glory. So why don’t we take it into politics and try it? I had the strong belief that a woman will bring about more change. I’m not saying that the men who have been there are 100% bad. They have tried their best; they should also try women and see us do our best. I believe that there would be more impact coming from a female angle.
QT: At what age did you start developing interest in politics?
Godiya: I was actively involved from 17, but my interest grew as I became 20. So I started nurturing and watching my activities from there. I knew that I was going to venture into this someday. So I have been politically aware from 20. I became very, very conscious. So I just knew I was going to do it someday.
QT: When you lost the primary in PDP, Why didn’t you change the political party?
Godiya: You call it a loss, I won’t call it a loss. I have invested in PDP. So my investments should yield me. After I didn’t make it to the primaries, I felt I had planted a seed and it is at the rooting level. It’s normal when you cultivate it like you expect it to get rooting before it starts germinating. So I just planted it and it’s at the rotten level. Should I abandon it? No, I will wait for it to start germinating until I reap from what I invested.
QT: So, you still have faith in the PDP?
Godiya: Yes, 100% and I know it’s going to work out someday. I know that it’s going to pay me somebody, not just for today. Sometimes, we invest and hope for the future. And I will wait because I have prospects in PDP. Let me ask you a question. Should I be viewed to a level and then because I feel I don’t like it again…I can’t build a structure to a level and abandon it. It was difficult, but I enjoyed the experience.
QT: What was the experience like?
Godiya: It was not easy, there were places you can’t even access with vehicles, and you had to go on a motorcycle. I was majoring in my motorcycle campaign. You see me looking all dusty and looking like a mad woman. It was not a bad experience. It was fun; I am missing the experience, actually. I will do it again.
QT: What did you see that was more pathetic to you in those communities that you visited?
Godiya: From what I observed during the campaigns, there were majority personnel requests instead of community requests. So it doesn’t bring much development to us. I was planning to focus on community requests, majorly. I wanted to be the first to bring this idea, we have times where personal requests will come in and we have times where community requests will come in. And again, we lack unity amidst us. I had it in mind to promote unity among our people as well as promote community harmony. So I wanted my people to see growth from another angle.
QT: Considering your age and gender, was there any time you felt stigmatized?
Godiya: It was so much on me. People kept asking me to drop from the contest. To be honest, I saw what they were telling me as a building block. The more they asked me to drop out, the more I became encouraged and I promised myself not to give up because I will encourage girls like me out there, that it is possible to be there and be alive. So I said even if I will not get one vote, I will stay till the end of these primaries and make sure I encourage other girls, because should I drop halfway, so many people will not recognise the fact that I even aspired. I wanted to get to the end, irrespective of the pressure.
QT: Yet, you still defeated some men even with the pressure to step down?
Godiya: Yes, I did. There were Six people who didn’t get a single vote. I felt on top of the world. I felt loved, I gained one love notwithstanding. My husband and father encouraged me; their love gave me the strength to carry on. As much as there was so much pressure on me, I still felt I should carry on. My father encouraged me. So many people around me also gave me more strength to carry on. My husband doesn’t like to hear that I am discouraged. My husband, my father, my brothers, they were all by my side.
QT: Generally, what is your message to young politicians like you?
Godiya: They should keep standing strong. There is a level of discouragement and pain that comes with it, but there is one thing that helps you overcome it. You should be intentional about what you want. I didn’t venture into the contest because I wanted money; I contested because I wanted a change. So, I did not lose, I gained a lot from people, I gained a lot of accessibility to so many people and so many things. With this, I can still create the change. I encourage young politicians to stand strong.
QT: Did you ever entertain the fear of being blackmailed or accused of sleeping around with men?
Godiya: When I started the consultation, the people that I was meeting for the permutations hinted about this. They prepared my mind. But, like I told you earlier, when I was 20, I knew I was going to venture into this, so I calculated my steps. Where I go and who I encounter and how I live my life. I am proud to say I had just two boyfriends. The second is my husband. I didn’t have any fear of blackmail. I knew how I lived my life. I’m not saying I’m 100% good but I was conscious about my life.
QT: Who is your role model as far as politics is concerned?
Godiya: My father has been the best politician I’ve seen. He is the only politician my eyes were fixated on. So, most of my influence came from him. Like I told you, when I was growing up, I’d ask him silly questions concerning politics, and he would be there to respond.