READ: The Chances and Contending factors of PDP in Lagos 2015 election

LAGOS 2015 ELECTION: Contending With Agbaje’s Challenge In Lagos
By Olaolu Oladipo
July 27, 2014
After months of suspense on his teeming supporters and admirers, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, a popular Lagos-based politician finally threw his hat into the ring to signify his intention to contest the Lagos
governorship election. OLAOLU OLADIPO looks at the prospects of his aspiration as well as the likelihood of his entry as a game changer.
The leadership of the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) received a delegation, an august visit of some sorts at the party’s secretariat located in the highbrow Ikeja GRA on Monday last week.
On that bright afternoon of July 21st, the Captain Olatunji Shelle- led state executive committee of the party formally welcomed into the party, a Lagos based politician, renowned businessman and pharmacist, Mr. Jimi Agbaje thus ending months of speculation regarding the secret romance between him and the party.
For some time, the rumour mill has been agog suggesting that Agbaje might have thrown his lot with the PDP as the platform to use to realize his ambition to become the governor of the state in 2015.
Prior to his meeting with Shelle and his group, those who should know have told the media that all the needed moves had been carried out for his seamless entry into the PDP.
It was even rumoured that the Ikorodu born politician had met with the Presidency to discuss his movement into the PDP. That speculation finally ended on Monday as he led his inner core of supporters to intimate the party of his desire to fly the flag of the party.
Agbaje, who has continued to shun media enquiries since the end of the visit is also believed to be holding series of meeting with other important stakeholders and leaders of the party to finalise the right strategies to be adopted by the PDP in order to win the 2015 election.
Addressing the SWC of the party earlier, in what he called a courtesy visit, Agbaje said he decided to choose the PDP to realise his political ambition based on common and aggregated opinion among core of his supporters across the state that the party was the most viable platform interested in causing the needed change desired by the Lagos people. To watchers of the events and trends within the party, Agbaje had reportedly joined the PDP some months ago and had been attending the party’s meetings at his Ward B, Apapa 1. He is said to be very active in the activities of the ward and has even been reported to be promoting the emergence of a consensus candidate that would pursue what he termed a Lagos agenda if given the opportunity to serve the state in 2015.
The governorship aspirant charged them to always remain united and make the party open and attractive for more people to join in order for them to make more meaningful impact on the party.
He did not leave the secretariat of the PDP without the usual pep talk from Shelle who while responding to speeches by his guest congratulated Agbaje for coming on board the party, declaring that the PDP was positioned to win the 2011 poll and form the next government in the state.
Shelle expressed the hope that Lagos people were ready to go the way of Ekiti people by voting the PDP into power, adding that the greatest opportunity that the party now had was the, “Misgovernance started by Tinubu and worsened by Fashola that has now caused disenchantment among Lagosians in particular and Nigerians in general.”
He, however, assured Agbaje that the leadership of the party under him would guarantee a level playing field for all its aspirants in picking who would eventually fly the governorship flag of PDP Lagos in 2015.
Though he initially contested the office on the platform of the Democratic Party Alliance (DPA) in 2007 against the incumbent Babatunde Raji Fashola where he came third, he is said to be close to the leadership of the ruling APC in the state. He is said to have picked the PDP owing to the near-zero possibility of picking the party’s (APC’s) ticket.
It is also said that he has been distancing himself from the APC lately to pursue his ambition and that the decision might not be unconnected with the bad blood created by his decision to seek legal redress for perceived infraction in the conduct of the polls.
Agbaje had challenged the result of the election at the state ElectionPetition Tribunal and subsequently at the Appeal Tribunal though he lost on both occasions but the relationship between him and the APC has been a mix bag of love today, enmity tomorrow, thus his thinking that it would be fool hardy of him to believe that he can realise his ambition in the APC.
“Moreover, his research team had told him that the PDP was not popular at all with the voting public in the south west. In Lagos where he was contesting, the PDP was not loved by the people, hence, the decision to allign with a party that can drive his ambition and in this case, the Labour Party comes in handy,” a source once told LEADERSHIP on phone.
Agbaje endeared himself into the hearts of Lagosians when in 2007 as a leading contender ran a colourful campaign, beautiful brand and charismatic presentations at public debates but he eventually came third in the election behind Fashola and the PDP candidate, SenatorMusiliu Olatunde Obanikoro.
His entry into the PDP seems to be sending ripples that have been permeating the political landscape of the state cutting across the two leading parties. No sooner had he left the party that tongues begun to wag on the desirability or other wise of his entry into the party.
Since the much reported visit, the old line of acrimony had been redrawn by chieftains pitching some young and emerging elements led by the Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Olatunde Obanikoro and a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George against each other.
Some members of the party have been expressing some form of reservation and have gone ahead to accuse Bode George of trying to impose a stranger on them. It is not clear yet if Obanikoro would contest the ticket with Agbaje but those close to him swear that he will soon throw his hat into the ring.
“Though he has not come out openly to say that he wants to contest the governorship, his body language suggests that he is very much interested in slugging it out with others for the party’s ticket.” A source within the Lagos chapter of the PDP told Leadership Sunday in a telephone chat.
Apart from the two other notable contestants for the ticket of the party, others include a property consultant, Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi, a medical doctor, Segun Ogundimu, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, Mr. Tokunbo Kamson as a well as a businessman, Deji Doherty.
It is not known as at the time of filing this reports what their disposition has been towards Agbaje but it is very predictable that many (if not all) will not be too happy as his coming seems to alter calculations within the PDP.
For the new kid on the bloc, he has two seeming advantage of acceptability outside the party, especially amongst the people of the state just as he has less baggage to contend with as with some other contenders. He is from the East Senatorial zone where the ruling party has limited his search for candidate.
Added to that is the fact that the bulk of the PDP structure is controlled by the George faction and that in the event of a recourse to primaries to pick candidate, he might emerge with the backing of George.
Outside the PDP, Agbaje is seen as a quintessential Lagos indigene, a thorough bred with sound pedigree and contact. His promoters easily points to his accomplishment as a private citizen to argue that he would translate the successes recorded in the business world to public life if given the chance.
No doubt, Agbaje’s entry into the contest is seen by many as a game changing move if some factors remain in the build up to the polls. One of such is the brewing war of attrition within the APC regarding the process that is expected to lead to the emergence of the party governorship candidate.
Those who should know are of the opinion that a former governor of the state and a leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu is current pitched in a war of wits with his godson and incumbent, Fashola over the choice of candidate for the party.
Many have argued that Agbaje who seems to be on the same page in terms of age with the incumbent will likely carry the day if the two politicians fail to arrive at a consensus of the choice of the party. “Even if they close ranks, the candidature of Agbaje will pose a mortal threat to the hold of APC in Lagos,” a source in PDP said.
The source, who is a member of the state executive council of the party further stated that with the acceptability of Agbaje and the support of ‘federal might’ , the APC will be given a run for its money.
With the emergence of Agbaje, the political scene of Lagos is set to witness a spark as the businessman’s entry no doubt has become a game changer.
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