Politics

2019 election: How Jimi Agabaje made APC defeat PDP – Shelle

Published

6 years ago

March 19, 2019

Former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State, Chief Tunji Shelle, has insisted that the party lost the just concluded governorship election in the state due to its candidate, Jimi Agbaje.

Shelle explained that rather than unite the party leadership, Agbaje sowed a seed of discord and refused efforts by Nigerians to join hands with leaders in the state to achieve results.

Speaking with Daily Independent, Shelle insisted that Agbaje won’t be allowed to be the party’s flag bearer in the nearest future.

He lamented that Agbaje sidelined the party leadership and opted to run the governorship campaign without carrying anybody along.

According to Shelle: “We have a situation where somebody said he could work and achieve victory alone. Meanwhile, he doesn’t know anything.

“Rather than show cooperation, he was arguing and fighting people who could help him. Even when things were going bad and help was to be rendered, he said he doesn’t need help.

“Well-meaning people intervened to rally everybody together in Lagos. They called us to a meeting and asked us to help him but he refused, saying he doesn’t need help. He became a lone ranger and stand-alone person.

“Even when we were trying to reinforce his campaign team, he told us point blank that he couldn’t work with people he can’t control. He wants to be a master of all and subject everybody in the party under his control which is not possible. You can’t control everybody because PDP is not your private party.

“So, we decided to leave him to go and do the job alone and at the end of the day, that is the result we got in Lagos. That is the major reason why PDP failed in Lagos.

“If not for the sympathy votes we got from people who are tired of APC and felt there is need for leadership change in Lagos state, we could have gotten lesser votes in the governorship election. To be frank, our governorship candidate was our problem in Lagos state.

“He defeated the party and defeated himself. The most unfortunate thing is that he doesn’t feel the pain of what he has caused. Also, there was mismanagement of resources too because everybody left him to his fate to do whatever pleases him”.