‘I Turned Down N100m To Step Down’ —-33-Year-Old Fish Seller Who Ousted Yobe Speaker

Lawan Majakura, a 33-year-old fish seller who defeated the speaker of the Yobe State House of Assembly, Ahmed Mirwa Lawan in the 18 March House of Assembly election says he was offered N100m to step down for the Speaker.

Majakura in an interview with Daily Trust said Lawan’s representative approached him twice to shelve his ambition and end his campaign.

He said he was initially offered N18m before the bid was increased to N100m but he rejected both offers.

The 33-year old house member-elect said his village people, who were mostly farmers and fish sellers, bought nomination forms for him and funded his campaign throughout the electioneering process.

“A government official and some people I thought were his representatives came to me two times, telling me to step down. They promised to give me N18m, but I refused. Later on, they came back and offered me N100m, but still I refused.

“I told them that my village people bought the nomination forms for me because they believed I would do better, so I did not see any reason to step down for anybody. I told them to meet my people if they actually wanted me to step down for whoever sent them to me.

“I even told my people what we discussed but we all agreed that I would not step down, so we moved on with our campaign,” he said.

On his plans for his constituents, Majakura said he will prioritize on education and healthcare.

“I will prioritise education by renovating our classrooms. I will make sure that we employ good teachers and provide learning materials.

“Secondly, our health care facilities need serious attention by providing drugs and medical personnel. We have more than 40 communities,” he added.

THE WHISTLER had earlier reported how Majakura of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defeated the speaker in a heated election contest.

He scored 6,648 votes, to defeat Mirwa, who scored 6,466 votes.