Jimi Agbaje Explains Why He Is Not Campaigning Yet.

Many Lagosians have criticised Jimi Agbaje for being “too quiet” and not making his presence felt in the political landscape of Lagos. The criticisms come in two forms:

1) Some people say that Mr Agbaje is only seen when it’s time to contest elections and then he disappears after losing the election and is not seen until four years later when it’s time to contest another election. They say that he doesn’t speak out about the issues that affect Lagosians in the intervening years between elections. For example, they say that he didn’t say anything when issues like poor refuse collection and terrible traffic jams were plaguing Lagosians. Some people compare him to Engineer Funsho Williams who always spoke about issues that affected Lagosians, regardless of whether it was an election year or not.

naptu2:
Funsho Williams vs Dele Alake

Circa late 2003-2005.

That was fun! That’s what opposition is meant to be.

naptu2:

What was this about?

Funsho Williams contested for the governorship of Lagos in 2003 on the platform of PDP. He lost to Bola Tinubu of the AD. You would have thought that his loss would have been the end of the story, but it wasn’t.

For several months c2003-2005 there was a fantastic advertisement battle between Funsho Williams’ camp and Bola Tinubu’s camp. It was simply fantastic.

There were no insults or personal attacks. Instead each day Funsho Williams’ team picked a sector of life in Lagos and criticised it based on available facts and figures. They went through education, transport, the economy, etc. and presented facts to back their arguments that the government of Bola Tinubu was not doing what it was supposed to do.

Dele Alake replied on behalf of the government. He refuted Engineer Williams’ claims with facts and figures of his own. Every advert that the Williams’ camp placed was followed by an advert by Dele Alake. There was no name calling or personal attacks. It was strictly an issues based battle. In fact, both camps occasionally complimented each other. This is what politics should be!

I never missed a newspaper because I didn’t want to miss one of those adverts. It was rivetting and satisfying. This is what politics should be!

2) Some people also criticise Mr Agbaje because they believe that he has not made any major statement since he won the PDP governorship primaries. They say that the candidate of the APC, Babajide Sanwo-olu has been in the news virtually every day since he won the primaries. He has been holding town hall meetings, meeting with stakeholders, etc. but nothing has been heard of Mr Agbaje.Well, Jimi Agbaje has now reacted to the criticisms.

Jimi Agbaje @jimiagbaje

Good morning Lagos, my team and I have gotten a barrage of questions asking why I haven’t been actively campaigning in public and I think it’s about time that we addressed it.

Let’s be clear, the INEC rules guiding this election unequivocally state that campaigning for the 2019 gubernatorial elections shall not begin until the 1st of December, 2018. In their words – not mine – and I quote,

“For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party (not just candidates) shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.”

Now if that is the rule, then we have no choice but to abide by it – even if it might sound unpopular to do so. And quite frankly, what precedence would we set if we are not keeping to the rules of competition.

To my supporters and well-wishers, I understand that we’re anxious to get this campaign on the road, but it’s important that we are also mindful of the bigger task ahead – which isn’t just about winning an election but about changing mindsets

and sending a strong message across Lagos that under our watch, it wouldn’t be business as usual. If our goal is to bring reform and order to governance in Lagos, if our mission is to fundamentally transform the way government works for the greater good of our people

and not a few vested interests, then we must begin by setting an example by obeying instructions. So I implore everyone to please hold on to those wonderful banners, posters and boards until the 1st of December. Let’s win this one again, the right way.

Friends, we have an opportunity in this election to really make it about the people of Lagos and not our personal egos. Currently, Lagos ranks as one of the top 7 economies in Africa yet – like a good friend of mine puts it, “majority of us work like elephants but eat like ants.”

What happened to Lagos? The size of our economy today is as large as the entire economy of Nigeria in 1999 yet we cannot boast of the sort of infrastructure that is worthy of a mega city of our status. Think about that for a second.

In this election there are real issues that must be addressed and bold ideas that must be proffered if ever we are to win the Lagos that this generation desires. I’m not under any illusions that this would be easy – which is why we need all hands on deck.

Everyone counts in this struggle to wrestle our dear state from the clutch of overlords and vested interests and I cannot wait to hit the trail to meet and interact with you all.

So if there’s anyone out there who is looking to be part of this dream to set a new trajectory for Lagos -one that puts the interest of the greater good of our people above any one entity; If there’s anyone who senses the urgency of the moment and wants to be part of the solution

to the issues that are preventing us from reaching our true potential as a state, we’ll be glad if you join us at (link: http://jimiagbaje.com/volunteer) jimiagbaje.com/volunteer where thousands of men and women, young and old, are making their voices heard as we forge a future worthy of the great people of this state.

In closing, let’s continue to act as great ambassadors of Lagos and true citizens of Nigeria even as we work within the guidelines of the upcoming election. In the end, the Lagos that this generation desires can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is ours. God bless