A former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje has declared that he will win the party’s national chairmanship position in the August 17 convention.
Agbaje, who made the declaration shortly after he collected his nomination papers in Abuja yesterday, said: “I will not be contesting if I know I will not win.”
The aspirant said he is not intimidated by the presence of political old horses in the race, saying the field is open to everyone that believes they can win.
He stressed that with him as chairman, the PDP would get a new lease of life.
“We are going to get back the power we lost at the centre and all the states we lost come 2019. Of course, we made mistakes in the past and the time has come for us to correct the mistakes,” he stated.
Agbaje added that the job of reconciling aggrieved party chieftains and members across the country would be easier under his leadership, pointing out that he did not belong to any faction.
He promised to run an all-inclusive administration that would bring members under the same umbrella, adding that the party must be united to enable it play the role of viable opposition.
Agbaje ruled out consensus arrangement in the contest, saying that consensus is always very difficult to achieve.
The position has been zoned to Lagos and Ogun states.
“I believe the field should be open for all interested aspirants to contest. You can even decide to run against the tide, if the position is not zoned to your area. You have the right to test your popularity at the convention ground,” Agbaje stated.
The chairmanship aspirant said he was still consulting with key stakeholders on his aspiration, adding that he had met only five of the party’s 12 governors.
One of the party’s governorship aspirants in Ondo State, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, was also at the party’s temporary office to return his nomination papers.
Speaking with reporters shortly after, Jegede said he would de-emphasise reliance on federal allocation by opening up avenues for Internally Generated Revenue.
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