* Picks Deputy, Runs Campaign Without Consultations
* I Carry Everybody Along, Agbaje Insists

Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos

With about six weeks to the conduct of the governorship elections, crisis is currently rocking the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje, and the state executive members, led by Dr. Adegbola Dominic, are believed to be working at cross-purposes instead of uniting to forge a common front against the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A chieftain of the party, who spoke with Daily Independent on Wednesday on condition of anonymity, said since his emergence as the party’s flag bearer, Agbaje had been running a one-man show, believing that he could do without the leadership of the Lagos PDP or party elders in the state, such as Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party.

He said while Agbaje had been running his governorship campaign with the team he set up without carrying the state PDP along, he also picked his running mate, Mrs. Haleemat Busari, without consulting the party leaders.

According to him, many party leaders who only heard of Busari’s choice in the media were angry and made attempts to kick against the decision but were prevailed upon by the party’s leadership to refrain from doing so in order not to create the impression that the party was disunited.

The source said: “The reality is that there is no unity in Lagos PDP and this may mar our chances in the forthcoming governorship election. Jimi Agbaje and the state exco of the party are not working as a team.

“If you remember, majority of the state exco members are loyalists of Chief Bode George and, as such, they don’t like Agbaje whom they see as a traitor for daring to contest against his benefactor for the national chairmanship of the PDP.

“Agbaje himself has not helped matters. Since becoming the governorship candidate of the party, he has constituted his campaign team and neglected the leadership of the party who are the key drivers of the party.

“Can you imagine Agbaje never consulted the party before picking his running mate, Mrs. Busari? Many of our party members and leaders were shocked when they heard about the news in the media.

“You can imagine the anger of many party members on account of this. The issue would have gone out of hand but for the appeal by the leaders of the party such as Chief Bode George who implored them not to make the issue public so that the APC will not capitalise on it.”

When our correspondent contacted Adegbola Dominic, the state chairman, on the allegations that Jimi Agbaje was not carrying the party along in his campaigns, he said: “That is not exactly correct. It is true that there may be some intra-party differences, but we are resolving that. We are working together and we will achieve victory in 2019.”

Similarly, Agbaje denied the allegations, saying he enjoyed a harmonious working relationship with the Dominic-led executives.

Speaking through Felix Oboagwina, his spokesman, Agbaje said he notified all the party leaders before choosing his running mate but added that what some complained against was that she was not a prominent member of the party who was known to all.

“It is not true that party leaders and state exco have not been carried along. When the deputy governorship candidate, Haleema Busari, was chosen, all stakeholders were carried along.

“Before the announcement was made, everybody who was a chieftain of the party knew about her. All they can complain about is the fact that she is not a frontline member of the party.

“Before her announcement and final selection was made, several names had been bandied and then she was zeroed in upon. Of course, it is normal that it is only one person that will be picked at the end of the day.

“From the day she was picked, she became a product of the entire party. On the issue of party excos and leaders not being carried along, we don’t know where that is coming from.

“There is a structure that the national leadership of the party has put in place in all the states that are holding elections in 2019. The structure is called the Campaign Council and the instruction is that it should be headed by the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state while the state PDP chairman will serve as the vice-chairman.

“In Lagos, the PDP Chairman, Dr. Adegbola Dominic, fills that role and he is doing it very well. He is being carried along and they hold regular meetings.

“There are about 10 people in the Campaign Council in Lagos State and because of the structure that was in place somebody like Rahman Owokoniran, a very close lieutenant and confidant of Jimi Agbaje, who was the last Director-General of the campaign, had to drop from the council to accommodate every other member of the party who are part of the structure.

“According to the structure that PDP is using, the campaign structure is also duplicated at the local government area level where a prominent member of the party in the local government area heads the council in the local government area.

“The same is also replicated at the ward level. At all these levels, the candidates for Senate, House of Reps, and House of Assembly are part of these structures. So, all these talk about disunity is the handiwork of mischief makers who want a divided party before the elections,” he said.

https://www.independent.ng/crisis-hits-lagos-pdp-as-jimi-agbaje-allegedly-sidelines-party/

The show hasn't started and PDP already in confusion

Mrs Halimat Busari?

CDN - Customer Daada Ni

Pdp in Lagos already conceded defeat

Without unity within the party, how will they be able to win the election and bring unity amongst lagosians? I smell disaster.

Isoright

.

Divided against itself.
Apart from the fact that the turnover from Kano is always an avalanche
Lagos the bigest vote market and barely 6weeks to the election,one big seller is still arguing and fighting inside the house while the other seller is already outside alreading ringing the bell and getting customers to come to his side and buy...

Next thing, when they come out, they will say the other seller is using Juju (Rigging) to get that much number of customers... When all that came to buy, left for the other shop when they saw that they were not ready.

Hahaha .

Singing Baba 70 *Overtake don overtake overtake and confusion break bone, yeeeepaaa, double wahala for deadii body and the owner of deadii body *

Mr Jimi Agbaje no wan waste money ni cos he knows his chances are slim.

#SANWO EKO ti take over

How is this your comment related to the topic? Pls, this 2019 o. And behave

hok4u:
Mr Jimi Agbaje no wan waste money ni

Abi now, he is now wiser!

theirs always confusion in the enemy's camp

Or the party sideline Jimi Agbaje because they don’t want to waste money on a futile effort .

That's not even possible. Agbaje knows the task ahead is a huge one that needs all hands to be on deck and as such, cannot afford to sideline anybody.

I've always said the biggest undoing of the PDP is the PDP, not even the APC.

A house divided against itself cannot stand

hope they resolve there issue

Jimi needs all the help he can get already, this their party crisis will just make it more easier for APC because Sanwo is coasting to an unprecedented victory!!

It's like the man is not even trying at all, his campaign team and trail has been very terrible.

You call JKay customer dada ni, yet The ApC has an agency dedicated to the removal of his posters, they spend all day online discrediting or demonizing him. How about you let the man alone? is it your sideline? why are the APC erats crying more than the sidelined Lagos PDP? why so much obsession with Jimi Agbaje?

who cares?

Agbaje for IMO state!

PDP candidates in SW will go through the motions to have reasons to spend campaign money, but politically they are bought into what APC is doing in SW and do not, themselves, want it displaced.

Why are you surprised? Is she a fraudster?

dingbang:
Mrs Halimat Busari?

Nearly FTC but gotta keep pushing!

As for Jimi, he never learn, dunno if he will ever learn. Throught out idumogba, desomu,idumota,balogu axis, on to apogbon den marina and mandillas, even down to iddo,Otto,oyingbo and and some apc strongholds, none of his posters! It's a shameful that Jimi refused to allow his experience in politics to work for him, rather he's busy on social media forgetting that Lagos politics is all about god fatherism and number of alaye/omota�� u can be able to corner on ur side. Bode George would have played a huge role, but Jimi chooses to play American politics in Lagos, in Lagos people!!

I fear for am!

In life, you cannot favor everyone.

Bode George was there when Agbaje was defeated and in 2015 and if Agbaje feels he can do without George, then he should continue.

He is old enough to know what is right and what is wrong.

Fake News

MetaPhysical:
PDP candidates in SW will go through the motions to have reasons to spend campaign money, but politically they are bought into what APC is doing in SW and do not, themselves, want it displaced.

Exactly