Lagos Politician, Jimi Agbaje, has revealed that he joined the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, because of his belief in the party’s ability to provide better governance for the people.
The new People’s Democratic Party member admitted that his decision generated some “noise” from those who feel uncomfortable with it, and it was expected in politics for people to complain but added that what mattered more to him was having more people in support of the decision than those against it.
Mr Agbaje, during a conversation on Channels Television’s Politics Today, refused to categorically state if his movement into the PDP was an indication that he would be contesting for the governorship seat of Lagos State in the 2015 election but did not rule out the possibility.
He said, “I believe that the law does not allow you to campaign publicly until some time. I think we’ll keep that within the family.”
Speaking on the politics of the South-West region of Nigeria in recent months as displayed in the Osun and Ekiti state governorship election outcomes, Agbaje was of the belief that the citizens were beginning to have a strong say in who their leaders are.
He cited several elements and qualities that should make an ideal politician and stated that how well the politicians can blend these elements would determine what they would get from the people at the end of each election.
“You’ve got to get your politics right, you’ve got to get your policies right, you’ve got to get your propaganda right, and you’ve got to get your polity right.”
He expressed joy that the elections in both states, above all things, had large turn-out of voters and still did not result in violence, contrary to expectations especially in Osun State.
He noted that the security presence did not discourage the voters from coming out to vote and this meant that it would be hard to debunk the need for the security presence deployed in the states for the elections.
INEC and 2015
“I think INEC has given us hope from Osun and Ekiti” he also said, but added that these were “stand alone” elections.
He noted that the general election happening simultaneously across the country would pose a bigger challenge for the electoral commission and expressed hope that they would be able to handle the challenge when it comes.
The former Lagos governorship candidate warned that the quantity of security personnel deployed in each state for the “stand alone” elections would not be available during the general election and this would reduce the level of help INEC got which helped in the avoidance of violence.
He, however, added that this also meant that the pressure on the electoral commission would reduce, as all the party bigwigs who were moving into the election states to pull their weight would not be there as they would also be busy facing their own constituencies.
The distribution of the Permanent Voter’s Cards, according to Agbaje, has also been “so far so good” considering the level of complaints which he said has not been as bad as expected. While admitting that there were challenges that needed to be addressed, he believed the INEC had done well enough.
The South-West Battle
With the PDP and APC having won a state each in the recent elections, Mr Jimi Agbaje expressed confidence that the PDP would eventually win the battle for the South-West, reminding Nigerian politicians that how well they are able to make impact on the lives of the people would be the determining factor come 2015.
“I have every confidence that the PDP is going to win this game for the South-West”, he said, sticking to his earlier stance that the electorates were more aware.
“In the South-West, people are asking, how much has the Government done for me? What is the benefit of Government? If you cannot quantify in any quantum that Government has done well for you, it means that you are willing to look elsewhere.”
Agbaje also believes that the direction in which the South-West battle swings would affect the outcome of the presidential election in 2015. He added that the chances of President Goodluck Jonathan of being re-elected, if he contests, would also depend on the perception of the people about his leadership.
He noted that it would be important to let Nigerians know that many of the things they complain about are not problems of the Federal Government but that of the states.
“If you’re having problems with education it is not necessarily the fault of Abuja and if you’re having problems with your roads, it is not the problem of Abuja. The Federal Government’s role is very different, so the presidential role is different”, he said.
He cited the resuscitation of the railway system, industrial growth especially as regards foreign investment and job creation, power sector development as some of the achievements that the PDP would need to properly articulate to the Nigerian people.
He added that he would also be expecting President Jonathan to ask Nigerians, “Can you truly say that your power has not improved?”
Speaking about Lagos State in 2015, Jimi Agbaje said; “People are going to be asking themselves, how well has the Government provided an enabling environment for me to aspire to whatever it is (I want).
“The market women are gong to be asking; ‘are we comfortable with the way the ruling party has treated us?’ The students are going to have a say; ‘has this government been nice to us?’
“The private sector are going to be saying ‘how heavy-handed has this government been?’ If they feel comfortable, fine; and if they don’t feel comfortable, then they are not likely to go that way.”
