Opinion: Jimi Agbaje Is A New Wine In An Old Bottle Olawale Wright NEWS.NAIJ.COM - Nigerian & worldwide news. facebooktwitteremail In 2007, Nigerians trooped out in tens, hundreds, thousands, and millions to vote yet again the different governments that will at the time determine the fate of their localities and states and by extension, the Nigerian entity as a whole, at least up till the next election year. Nigerians voting Nigerians voting Lagos state was not left out. As with any politically-conscious people in a social environment, Lagosians voted, either for the party they felt embodied the good they needed to see in the state or for the candidate whom they felt will better guide the state through trials and challenges to the promised land even if such a candidate belongs to a party the voters didn’t believe in. But voted, Lagosians did. One of the gubernatorial aspirants for Lagos state that year was Jimi Agbaje. Interestingly worthy of note is that even though him and other notable Lagos state governorship aspirants of that time lost to incumbent Governor, Babatunde Fashola, those who had a chance to interact with Jimi Agbaje and those who believed in him enough to vote for him agree that he is a man of great intellect and could have been the Face of Lagos, if he hadn’t been consigned to jump ship from the Action Congress (AC) to the Democratic People’s Alliance (DPA) in 2007. Eight years later, Jimi Agbaje is back. And yes, he is gunning for the Governorship seat of Lagos state yet again. This time under the umbrella of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Having won the party’s gubernatorial ticket at the PDP Lagos Governorship Primaries held in Lagos on the 8th of December, 2014, beating erstwhile Minister of State for Defense and former Ambassador to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, some questions are begging to be answered by Mr Agbaje. On one hand, perhaps Lagos state can count on an intellectual like Jimi Agbaje to hold its reins for the next four years, but being a major political and socio-economic stakeholder in the country, can it trust someone with Jimi Agbaje’s “little” political experience to take it to greater heights, seeing as Jimi Agbaje’s first step into “major” politics was in 2007? Prior to that time, he had not played “any” major political role worthy of note for a man running for such prestigious position. After being overlooked in favour of Babatunde Fashola for the ACN governorship ticket 8 years ago, Agbaje was reportedly offered a compensation of a ‘Senatorial’ seat by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. But he was said to have declined the offer, still feeling aggrieved because of the flawed process that saw him lose the party’s ticket to Fashola. If the report is true, and had he accepted the offer, he would have gone on to represent Lagos at the Senate, and consequently, would have gained “quality experience”. Who knows, by now, he’d probably be the anointed man instead of Akinwunmi Ambode. Goodluck Jonathan and Jimi Agbaje at a PDP rally in Lagos However, in the absence of “what could have been”, it is apparent that Agbaje lacks substantial political, public service and governance experience, which may turn out to be his Achilles’ heel. On the other hand, given Jimi Agbaje’s popularity and steady but gradual rise in the politics of Lagos state and the Lagos PDP as a whole and being of a totally “different cut”, could he be the face of a young, vibrant, masses-friendly government that the average Lagosian now desperately craves? It’s a month before the February 14, 2015 general elections and as usual, tensions are high both within and outside the political parties. Even more, residents and citizens of Lagos state are looking beyond the promises and sweet-tongues of political parties, listening and watching critically the individuals these parties have produced: hoping to decipher if one is any different from the other and if any can be trusted to be Lagos’ messiah. As questions continue to arise, we would ask some of our own. Can Jimi Agbaje prove that he is not merely new wine in an already worn-out, overused bottle? That perhaps, he is not another status quo waiting to continue if voted as Lagos Governor? That he will not be consumed and controlled by the ‘powers-that-be’ in the PDP, if elected Governor? But then again, who really is Jimi Agbaje, besides being a pharmacist and administrator who is loved and respected by all and sundry? These questions, we hope would be answered as the amiable politician campaigns across Lagos, in his second bid to take charge of the affairs of the state. Regarding the coming elections, Jimi Agbaje has asked the people of Lagos to vote for change or the continuity of the same old policies that have favoured a few and created more hardship for the greater part of the population.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:05:47 +0000
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