The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) candidate for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senate seat in the 2027 election, Dr Juliet Muoneme, has said former Senator Philip Aduda’s long political career should be enough for FCT voters to determine whether he deserves another term in the National Assembly.
Muoneme spoke on Friday in Abuja at a media interaction with the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE), where she unveiled aspects of her agenda for the territory and expressed confidence in her ability to challenge established political structures.
Aduda spent eight years in the House of Representatives and 12 years in the Senate, representing the FCT, and is now seeking to return to the National Assembly in 2027.
But Muoneme said she did not consider his political history a disadvantage to her candidacy, arguing that his two decades in the legislature had given constituents ample opportunity to assess his achievements.
She questioned why a politician who had spent 20 years in the National Assembly should seek another mandate without first allowing voters to evaluate what he accomplished during that period.
“If he was that efficient with a lot of projects here and there, does he even need to come out? It is people who should be asking him to recontest,” she said.
Muoneme said her own approach to leadership would emphasise continuity, mentorship and the deliberate grooming of younger leaders capable of taking over from those currently in office.
She also dismissed claims that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike could frustrate her senatorial ambition.
According to her, Wike occupies an executive position and is not contesting for the FCT Senate seat, making attempts to portray him as a direct competitor unnecessary.
“Wike is a minister. He is not looking for FCT Senate. He has his work as a minister,” she said.
The PRP candidate further urged the public to disregard unconfirmed reports of political endorsements allegedly made by the minister, insisting that only a clear public declaration should be regarded as an endorsement.
While acknowledging the minister’s ongoing infrastructure projects across the FCT, Muoneme maintained that the functions of a minister and senator were fundamentally different.
She said her legislative responsibility would be to represent constituents, make laws and provide effective oversight, rather than compete with the executive.
On the PRP’s chances against more established political parties, Muoneme argued that strong candidates could increase the popularity and acceptance of their parties.
“Candidates make party. Party is a political platform,” she said, pointing to the emergence of the Labour Party as an illustration.
She also noted that the PRP was founded in 1978 and should not be treated as a new political platform.
Muoneme said the FCT RISE Agenda would form the foundation of her campaign, with emphasis on representation, research, innovation, inclusion, stewardship, entrepreneurship and empowerment.
Housing, she said, would receive particular attention, with a proposed partnership between government, developers and financial institutions to expand access to affordable homes through mortgage-based arrangements.
She equally proposed an automobile hub that would provide a central platform for mechanics, electricians and other automotive professionals, while offering engineering graduates opportunities for practical training.
The PRP candidate said her interest in youth empowerment was not driven solely by politics, recalling previous efforts to support young people facing drug abuse and other social difficulties.
She said she had facilitated skills acquisition in areas such as tailoring, hairdressing and tie-and-dye, while some beneficiaries were supported through loans designed to be repaid into revolving funds for subsequent beneficiaries.
Muoneme said productive engagement of young people remained an important strategy for reducing insecurity and social tension.
Rejecting the description of politics as a dirty game, she argued that the perception had discouraged many competent Nigerians from seeking public office.
“Politics is not dirty. Politics is about leadership. Politics is service,” she said.
She added that her experience in education, research, entrepreneurship and human-capacity development would influence her legislative priorities if elected.
Muoneme stressed that her campaign would cover the entire FCT rather than focus only on Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), where she lives.
She said residents of the other five area councils deserved stronger representation and greater access to the dividends of democracy.
On the recurring clashes involving motorists and cattle in the FCT, she advocated ranching and a better-organised livestock sector as a means of reducing conflicts.
She also opposed vote buying, urging politicians to focus campaign resources on legitimate mobilisation and communicating their programmes to voters.
Muoneme called on FCT residents to make their choices based on credibility, competence and capacity to deliver, rather than the amount of money offered during elections.