The Peoples Democratic Party Governorship Candidate in Lagos, Jimi Agbaje, has said that the party had assurance of winning the state governorship election in 2019.
Mr Agbaje said this in an interview with newsmen at the party’s National secretariat on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that coming out of the party’s national convention stronger and united, with its presidential candidate and his running mate, the PDP was getting seriously ready for the 2019 general elections including those of Lagos.
“This time around, we intend to take over Lagos in 2019. The campaign for Lagos is set for us.
“It is clear to us in Lagos that what “Lagosians’’ are looking for is freedom from the vested interest that have gripped Lagos for nearly 20 years.
“We have a situation where it had been under the grip of one or two persons and we are tired of that.
“We believe Lagos is doing well compared to other states; but it can do much better than it is doing now; but it is being crippled by vested interests.
“Things that could have been done differently are being done in a manner that is slowing down the progress and that is what the campaign is set against.
“Free Lagos campaign is a campaign that Lagos can be better and that the alternative can be, a lot more, better than it is today.
“The structure is being put in place and I am sure that at the end of the day, it is going to be victory for PDP in Lagos and at the centre and in most of the states that we lost,” he stated.
Mr Agbaje said that although the PDP had been opposition party in Lagos since 1999, the party base still remained intact and PDP was working to expand it.
“There is a lot of confidence and don’t forget in 2015 and irrespective of what happened, that base we had in 2015 still remains intact. Those that voted for us are still there for us.
“The strategy is to expand that base in a way that we have every assurance that we are taking Lagos.”
Asked if the defection of the Chairman, PDP Lagos State, Chief Moshood Salvador, to the All Progressives Congress would affect PDP performance in the state, Agbaje said his defection had no impact on the party.
“He left on his own. If you go alone, I don’t know how that will affect the party in any way.
“If he was really somebody that has a structure or followership, you will expect the followership to go with him but when you leave as one person it means you are of no effect on the party.
“We have not felt anything with his departure and it will not affect us. We have not had defections from the PDP in the last few years.”
On his relationship with Chief Bode George, Agbaje said that George remained the leader of PDP in Lagos State and I don’t think anybody is going to doubt that.