The Rivers State deputy governorship candidate of the
African Democratic Congress in the 2023 election and popular Nollywood actress,
Tonto Dikeh, said on Saturday she would not stop contesting the election until
she realised her ambition.

She said her chances of governing the oil-rich state in the
future were both high and slim because politics is dirty.

Dikeh stated these in an interview with journalists in Abuja
during the GOTNI national leadership conference, organised by its National
Leadership Centre with the theme, ‘Leadership for sustainability.’

She said, “One of the things I learnt (in contesting the
election) is resilience and never giving up. I know after four years, they will
forget about me and that, ‘she is not going to come back.’ But I am going to
come back. Every four years, I am going to come back. I will come back and I
will be in their faces. I will be coming back to the contest.

“I won’t care what they think about my position, I will keep
having the lion’s share, whether it is my personal life or politics, I am here
to stay and they have no choice but to accept it.”

According to her, leadership is something that Nigerian
youths need, especially now when they are all striving for a better Nigeria and
a better life.

Dikeh said, “I said something; I said that the youths are
restless. They are young, they are vibrant, and this is the time for them to do
things. They cannot achieve those things if they do not fall under the platform
of leadership.

“I contested for the position of Deputy Governor of Rivers
State under the ADC and I saw how the older politicians perceived me like, ooh!
This girl came to joke but I told them I didn’t come to joke.

“I made them understand that I came to fight. I might not
have won but it will go down in history that I contested against Wike or Wike’s
boy or the other big shots that I contested against.’

The celebrity said one of the reasons why the elderly look
down on the youth is because they lack leadership, while the older class does
not see what they should be seeing in the younger people.

“They are not totally wrong; I saw what happened during the
#EndSARS saga. There was no form of leadership. I personally did not want to
indulge in that because, after investing so many millions on GOTNI Leadership
Centre and attending programmes almost every three months, I would not go into
a fight blind without a leader or without a structure.

“It was structureless, and these are the things that the
elderly politicians look at us and say that these people are not ready. We need
to put ourselves in the position of power, and it is not just contesting; it is
actually being power yourself, and I don’t think we have gotten there yet as it
is,” she stated.

According to the CEO of GOTNI Leadership Centre, persons
occupying leadership positions in Nigeria do not have the prerequisite
leadership training that is necessary for them to function effectively.

He said the conference provided the opportunity for managers
and executives in private and public organisations to strengthen their
leadership capacities, establish new networks, and develop the capacity to
maximise the potential of their existing networks to the advantage of their
institutions.

Through a series of cutting-edge leadership conversations,
and thought-provoking panel discussions, Okorie said the conference aimed to
reinforce the need for leadership development for organisational and national
leaders.

“The truth of the matter is that no organisation has made
progress unless there is sustainable leadership capital. Over the years, the
history of Nigeria has been filled with a deficit of leadership capital, many
people who are promoted into leadership positions, do not have the prerequisite
leadership training that is necessary to be able to make those roles work for
them effectively.

“You have seen organisations die and people are wondering:
Why is this organisation that has so much future? Why is this institution that
has the most promise, why did it just disappear, why did it die? The results
are simply because of the fact that a lot of the people who work with the
organisations lacked leadership principles and values, and models that are
necessary to drive organisations,” she said.

She said GOTNI, over the years, has consistently organised
leadership conferences, emerging leaders conferences, and different programming
to enlighten Nigerians on the great need for leadership development.