Jimi Agbaje, the governorship candidate of the Democratic People's Alliance (DPA) in the 2007 governorship contest in Lagos State, has pitched political tent with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Jimi Agbaje, the governorship candidate of the Democratic People's Alliance (DPA) in the 2007 governorship contest in Lagos State, has pitched political tent with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Confirming the development to SaharaReporters, a close associate of Mr. Agbaje said the governorship aspirant took the decision after careful consideration by his top campaign team. “We took time to study all the political scenarios and the different political parties to determine which is the best instrument for pursuing his [Mr. Agbaje’s] goal of providing Lagos State with first class service,” said the source. He added that the gubernatorial aspirant was convinced that the PDP in Lagos State has the best level of internal democracy of all the major parties likely to be in contention in Lagos. “It’s regrettable that, fifteen years into our current democratic system, so many parties still practice the culture of anointment or imposition of candidates,” said the source. He argued that Mr. Agbaje’s political advisers discovered that the PDP was abandoning the idea of imposition of candidates, accusing Bola Tinubu, a major force in the All Progressives Congress (APC) of continuing with his desire to dictate the direction of Nigeria’s major opposition party, including the undemocratic anointment of candidates for elective posts.
A pharmacist by training, Mr. Agbaje is an entrepreneur and has a longstanding history of political involvement.
SaharaReporters was unable to reach Mr. Agbaje by telephone, but two sources told us that he plans to officially announce his membership of the PDP and his intention to run on that party’s platform in the coming week.