A prominent Fine Gael activist in west Dublin has become chairman of the Ireland Chapter of Nigeria’s dominant political party, but has not ruled out contesting further elections in Ireland. Adeola Ogunsina has worked closely with Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar in recent years, and has been a key player in the development of Fine Gael policies on integration and ethnic minorities. The businessman unsuccessfully ran for the party in the Mulhuddart ward of west Dublin in the 2009 local elections.
A prominent Fine Gael activist in west Dublin has become chairman of the Ireland Chapter of Nigeria’s dominant political party, but has not ruled out contesting further elections in Ireland.
Adeola Ogunsina has worked closely with Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar in recent years, and has been a key player in the development of Fine Gael policies on integration and ethnic minorities. The businessman unsuccessfully ran for the party in the Mulhuddart ward of west Dublin in the 2009 local elections.
Ogunshina was elected earlier this year as chair of the Irish branch of the PDP (People’s Democratic Party), which is fronted by President Goodluck Jonathon, and is due to hold the voluntary position for four years.
He told Metro Éireann that, at its peak, the PDP Ireland chapter would have had not less than 150 members in branches in Dublin, Cork and Dundalk, but numbers have reduced due to people having left the country. He has established a party committee to analyse necessary branch structures.
“The [internal] report practically says we should have four branches in the greater Leinster-Dublin area and one in Dundalk, two in Cork and one that is going to encompass Galway, Limerick and Ennis, to be able to support the country,” he said.
Another key issue is advocating for diaspora voting rights in Nigeria’s elections. “One fifth of Nigerians is not resident in the country itself. If you disenfranchise those people it is not the best for democracy,” he said. “For democracy to thrive and for those of us living abroad to be able to give their support and contribution we need to have voting rights.
“There is a bill going through the House [of Representatives in Nigeria] now to extend our voting rights to people living abroad, so one of the challenges and one of the things we hope to accomplish in association with other foreign chapters is to make sure that we push that bill to be approved.”
Other priorities are linking Nigerian legislators with those from Ireland in an exchange of best practice, as Nigeria is a “young democracy”, and encouraging people of Nigerian background to holiday in “the motherland”.
On Fine Gael, Ogunsina said he was still “very much” a member but was not commenting on whether he planned to run for election for the party again. The local elections take place next year.
“I would say no comment on [running for Fine Gael in the future]. I have been chased left, right and centre to run,” he said. “I am a very good, strong member of Fine Gael… and so I would have a very good position and would have contributed to their integration policy in a very strong way and policy to do the new Irish or new ethnic minorities.
“I am still very much involved in that, but in terms of running for political office that is a decision that will be made later.”
He concluded that PDP Ireland was scheduled to hold a general meeting by the end of May for all those interested in seeking membership.
