Azeez Yusuf, the philanthropist popularly known as Nino Agege, has thrown his hat into the ring for the Agege 02 seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly.

He is seeking the ticket of the All Progressives Congress.

According to a statement by Yusuf on Thursday, the declaration came on Wednesday at Power Line Praying Ground in Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area after a medical outreach organised by him earlier in the day.

Speaking before the crowd, Yusuf framed his aspiration as a call to service rather than a pursuit of personal gain.

“I stand before you to declare my intention to contest for Agege 02 seat in Lagos House of Assembly on the platform of our great party, the APC.

“My aspiration is not driven by personal interest but by the common good: the urge to contribute to the development of Agege from the position of strength by being your representative in the House of Assembly, championing your cause and driving government projects and programmes to our dear community,” he said.

He also pledged to sustain his charitable work alongside his legislative responsibilities, should he win the election.

“I won’t stop to be Nino Agege famed for giving scholarships to indigent students and catering for the poorest of the poor. Instead I would scale my charity up if elected while my legislative duty also shares the front burner,” he said.

According to the statement, a party member, Tunji Owokalade, described Yusuf as a grassroots figure who had earned the community’s loyalty through years of personal sacrifice.

“Nino is a man of the people who spends his hard-earned money on the less privileged. This, he has been doing for time immemorial.

“For us in Agege, this is a payback time, we would not only be getting effective representation if we elected Nino, we would be rewarding him for several years of service to the community without having access to public funds,” he stated.