Story: Rahamatu-Lahi Zakaria || Sanatu Zambang Newsroom
Zeinab Denderi In 2018, Zainab Denderi and UDS Nyankpala campus made history together when She was elected as the first female SRC president of the school.
The win most people saw as a win for women in politics and also to generate a new form of political participation that will transcend from the schools to the nation.
Speaking in the studios of Sanatu Zambang, Zainab said she did not play the gender card to stand for the election.
” me going in for the SRC President, I did not see myself as a woman. I came with a different mindset and that is what set me apart from the other candidates.”.
Zeinab Denderi
This believe eventually made her win the elections. According to her, women need not attach any gender identity when contesting for an election. They need to see themselves as individuals with messages that can convince people to vote for them.
Though she is in support of women going in for elections, but she also had this to say with women letting political parties use them to play gender politics for the sake of power. She said they should be ready for gender specific insult.
”Were you brought in based on gender to get something out of it. If that is why you were brought in, then that is going to be the center for concentration”.
Zeinab Denderi
In the interview Zainab Denderi declared her intention of going further with her political career, that campus politics was just a starter and she has a dream of contesting at the national level.
”I use campus elections to try myself if I can handle the one ahead and I would have done so bad if I had not done this.”
Zeinab Denderi
There was a huge support for her to win and after her win, congratulatory messages came from different parts of the world for her historic victory. For this reason, there was pressure for her to perform.
These from the nay sayers who says women cannot deliver at sensitive positions, people watching from the outside who were proud of her win and the students she was leading as well.
She made it clear that she faced challenges as the President and one of the issues was the issue of resources to fund her projects back in power.
” I have stories to tell. I am the SRC President but that doesn’t mean I am the key to the money. I can be walking and someone will go like zainab you have spent our money but they don’t know that the money, I was suppose to use for projects were taken by management.”
Zeinab Denderi
She claimed. In her finally words to upcoming politicians, Zainab advised them not to rely much on people and that not even your mum. She further says politicians should blame themselves when they lose an election.
”You have no right to begrudge anyone for not buying into your idea. It is all about you. If people did not vote for you then you did not do well. And nobody can sell your message better than you.”
Zeinab Denderi
