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Governorship Candidate of the PDP in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has said he was very much in the race and has no contrary plan or conviction.
“I have not stepped down. And I will not step down for anybody,” Agbaje said in a statement, on Wednesday, by his Director of Media and Publicity, Felix Oboagwina.
“Neither my party nor I have any arrangement with anybody to drop out of the race. And at this point in time, no Jupiter can even make such a suggestion to me. It is taboo. It is indecent. It will not happen. Such has not even crossed my mind.
“To step down for whom? Stepping down will be an unfortunate betrayal of the hopes and dreams of millions of Lagosians who consider me as the only alternative to the impunity and corruption they have suffered in the hands of the Pharaoh who has selfishly cornered the state and its resources these past 20 years.
“The results of the last elections, despite its being cooked and falsified to favour APC, favour APC and show that Jimi Agbaje and PDP have a formidable standing and they are the preferred team to take over the leadership of the state.
“We are the glimmer of hope. We are the light at the end of the dark tunnel. And I will never be part of anything to betray our people’s trust and hope. So help me God.”
Agbaje Denies Adoption Of Common Opposition Candidate
The Governorship Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has described as a mixture of blackmail and mischief the reports making the rounds that his party joined others to adopt a common standard-bearer for Saturday’s election.
Agbaje spoke when he and his Running Mate, Mrs. Haleemat Oluwayemisi Busari, led their campaign team through Alimosho Local Government Area in their ongoing tour of the state.
He urged people to disregard the supposed adoption of a common flagbearer under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), saying it only existed as a figment of the imagination of its evil sponsors.
“My party PDP is a bona-fide entity in the CUPP and I can assure you that no such endorsement has taken place, and it is not even on the cards,” Agbaje said.
The umbrella opposition group, CUPP, purportedly adopted the Action Democratic Party (ADP) candidate, Mr.Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi, as the sole candidate it would back against Babajide Sanwoolu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Those pushing this false and evil narrative and those who think they can benefit from it are lilly-livered and Lilliputian contestants who lack any sense of decency,” Agbaje said. “Everyone should be wary of the antics of these political desperadoes. These are political featherweights, lowly rated in this contest, and they will do anything to play the role of spoilers.”
The PDP standard-bearer expressed confidence about winning on Saturday.
“We have always said that we are in this race to win; and we will win fair and square,” Agbaje said.
According to him, the source of the divisive information could only be APC feeling threatened by its dwindling popularity and facing imminent defeat at the Saturday governorship elections.
He said, “In the past, CUPP has proved a strong voice for decorum, decency and democracy, and the ruling party may just be disseminating that item of information in order to sow the seeds of discord and divide the ranks of a robust opposition.”
Wondering why anyone would sink to the level of sowing outright falsehood in the name of politics, Agbaje said, “I put a lot of premium on integrity, honesty and truth, and that has underscored the way we have run this campaign. Unfortunately, many politicians seem to believe that the end justifies the means and would do anything to push their selfish ambition, including sowing outright falsehood, disinformation and misinformation to the public.”
Agbaje and Busari came to a tumultuous welcome by excited members of the public, who defied the rain and swamped his long convoy of vehicles that wound through Iyana-Ipaja, Gowon Estate, Ipaja, Egbeda, Idimu, Ikotun and other areas of the state’s largest local government.
Thousands of party faithful, supporters and admirers defied the rain, and stood by the roadside to hail the duo of Agbaje and his Running Mate who climbed out of their vehicle to wave back at the cheering line of Lagosians.
It was a carnival-like atmosphere as party members handed out to the public gift items like pens, notebooks, bags, face-caps and hand-fans.
