Among the allegations chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) levelled against Jimi Agbaje, the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State during campaigns for the just concluded gubernatorial election was that he reneged on his promise not to contest the governorship election in the state after losing the 2015 gubernatorial election.
The APC chieftain apparently did not see Agbaje as a “serious” candidate who could pose a threat to its candidate in the state and mocked his decision to contest the 2019 gubernatorial election.
However, on the street of Lagos, a large percentage of the residents of the state yearned for change and viable opposition candidate who could challenge the APC candidate, and also put an end to the Bola Ahmed Tinubu dynasty in the state.
Agbaje, who is a trained pharmacist, had previously contested gubernatorial election in the state in 2007 and 2015, but lost the election to Babatunde Fashola and incumbent Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, respectively.
But just after an impressive performance in the 2015 general elections, in which the PDP gained much inroad into the political space in the state, winning seven seats in the state Assembly and five Federal House of Representatives positions which were unprecedented in the history of the party in the state.
The PDP just like its national body went into disarray and was hit by protracted leadership crisis; initially between Moshood Olagoke Salvador and Segun Adewale, which saw both party stalwarts claiming to be the authentic state chairman and later there was also crisis over sharing of state executive positions between Salvador and the estranged political god-father and leader of the party in the state, Olabode George; this eventually culminated in Salvador’s defection to the APC.
However, the emergence of Agbaje as the PDP governorship candidate offered a ray of hope, in a governorship contest which was turning out to be like a work-over for the APC; because of what seemed like a lack of viable opposition candidate.
Agabje, a grassroots politician, had anchored his campaign on ‘freedom’, promising to free the state from the grip of godfather and prioritise education and social infrastructures.
Fondly called Jay-Kay by his followers, he campaigned across the state and was popular and had wide support among South-easterners and South-southerners resident in the state.
However, after the result of the election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer for the state and Vice Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Eyitope Ogunbodede, said the APC candidate, Sanwo-Olu, polled majority of the votes of 739,445 votes to defeat Agbaje who scored 206,141 votes.
Though Agbaje conceded defeat and called Sanwo-Olu to congratulate him for his victory shortly after the election result was announced by INEC, some chieftains of the PDP in the state alleged that the party’s dismal performance in the election could be attributed to the activities of hoodlums loyal to the APC which intimidated its members in its strongholds and colluded with officials of INEC to manipulate the gubernatorial election result in several parts of the state to favour the APC.
While it is generally agreed that unlike 2015, the party performed abysmally in the just concluded general elections in the state, there is the general belief among party members that after Agbaje’s three-time failed attempt at the governorship position in the state, that it is time for the party to move away from the Agbaje’s candidacy, and take necessary actions to put its house in order if the party wants to remain a viable opposition to the APC in the state in future elections.
Ayo Kusamotu, a legal practitioner, said that the PDP in Lagos State needs a new strategy and direction, noting that any candidate from other political parties that would want to defeat the APC candidate in Lagos would need vigorous campaign which must start now.
“Well, did PDP lose the governorship election because of the candidate? I would not say it is about the candidate; we have seen people contest election more than three times and lost. But Jimi Agbaje I think is in his 60s now by Nigeria’s standard, he may still be a young man even to contest after Sanwo-Olu finishes his two terms.
“The PDP members just have to sit down and talk, and adopt another strategy; unfortunately, this time it seems they did not really campaign that much, I think they would have done more,” he said.
“I don’t think it is about the people who they present for election; we saw candidates from other parties. Look at the popular musician that ran here in Lagos, he came second, whoever want to defeat APC in Lagos has to start the campaign now, but unfortunately, these guys never start until two months to elections,” Kusamotu said.
Some chieftains of the party in the state who spoke with BDSUNDAY have accused Agbaje of sell-out to the opposition; they said that several party agents were not paid which affected the party’s performance in the election, urging the party to move away from him.
“We have learned our lesson; generally I do not think we performed well, but I think the party have realised that the Agbaje candidacy is a fraud; he is not a member of the party. We need to move away from him.
“You can imagine our agents here in Ikorodu, I paid them; Agbaje refused to pay them and he wanted to win”, Kunle Koye, a chieftain of the party in Ikorodu said.
Chairman of the party in the state, Agboola Dominic, however, agreed that some candidates in the just concluded general elections failed the party, noting that such candidates would be relegated to the background in the rebuilding process.
“We would rebuild our structure and put the candidates who failed us in the elections to the back ground; we would sit down and assess the state of things. We may have done better but politics is a team work.
“But you know, we have been cheated in some states and in the presidential election, we have gone to court and we would fight these cases to their logical conclusion and reclaim our mandate” he said.
“But in Lagos State we would refocus to make sure that we have a solid structure ahead of the 2023 general election in the country”.
But The Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Taofeek Gani, disagreed that the party lost elections in Lagos State, noting that the party was rigged out by the APC and INEC.
Gani stressed that INEC had taken the nation forty years back with the manner it conducted the just concluded general elections.
“We know we had issues before the election and some of our candidates failed us, but that does not mean we would have lost even in areas that traditionally are our strongholds.
“Can you imagine as at now we don’t know what INEC is doing with the supplementary election they promised in some constituencies in the state? They brought forms that we should vote for that in my area, they said the other votes were stolen and I asked our party agent who denied it. What happened was that our candidates were rigged out in Lagos. INEC took us 40 years back with the manner it conducted this year’s general election” Gani said.
Iniobong Iwok
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