Jimi Agbaje, a former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State is one of the contenders for the national chairmanship position of the party at the convention slated for this weekend. In this exclusive interview with TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI, he speaks on why he has not been campaigning like other aspirants and why the South- West should produce the chairman. Excerpts:

The election of the national chairman of PDP takes place few days from now and as an aspirant, a lot of people are saying you should not be taken serious because you are not campaigning across the country like others. What is your take on that?

That is very simple. The election of chairman of the party is a delegate convention. It is not open primary. Open primary is when everybody is involved in the process. Even delegates to the convention were only selected last week or so across the country. So, it is a strategic thing; it is a leadership thing. It is not a general election and that is the reality. Going around campaigning is going to people who are not going to be directly involved in voting for you. Of course, it is good for the party to make noise but that is not what determines the leadership of the party. As you will probably find out, the person who emerges will not necessarily be him who has travelled the most. The election is a strategic thing and not a general election. It is not an open primary. The new constitution of the party that we are working on will now bring about open primary, then an aspirant can be running around because everybody is involved in that process. But in this particular one, it is the leadership that determines the chairman of the party.

What do you mean by it is the leadership that determines who becomes the chairman?

Yes, it is because the delegates are the ones that form the leadership of the party. They are the ones that are going to determine through their votes who becomes the chairman. It is not a general election where all party members will vote. It is also not open primary.

Are you among the school of thought that believe that it is the turn of the South- West to produce the national chairman ?

For me, I will argue that in our present situation, for the PDP as an opposition party, the South West should produce the chairman and there are reasons for this. In the first place, the foundation of the PDP is based on all-inclusiveness. That was why the founding fathers of the party came up with the issue of zoning so that everybody will be part of the party. So, if you follow that and you have a situation where the South- East has had chairmanship for some number of times, the South-South has had it temporarily for a while but the South- West has never had it. So that means if we follow that principle, of course the South-West can say in that spirit, it should produce the chairman.

Again, we have a situation where there is a reality and if you look at the election of 2015, the PDP had a lot of difficulty in convincing the South West that the administration had done well for the zone. The complaint in the South West was that the region was shortchanged for the 2015 election. So, you have a situation today where if you look at the South West in the present ruling party (APC), the region has the Vice- President and key ministries such as Power, Works and Housing, Finance and so on. So, if the PDP as an opposition party wants to win the next election, it needs the vote of the South West. The question will now be as a party, what will the PDP be selling to the people of the region to vote for it in 2019? Based on what the South-West is presently enjoying under the APC government, if we want to call it enjoyment, then we will need to match or even beat what they presently give to the South West. But in a situation where you don’t give South- West presidency, you don’t give them Vice- Presidency and you don’t give them national chairman, then it makes it difficult. The truth is the votes of the South West are not negligible. Even at the last election, the winner of the presidential election, that is President Muhammadu Buhari got 2.5 million votes. But even with the complaints by the South- West, the PDP still managed to get 2.1 million votes. For me, it is putting the case forward and saying that it is better and in the interest of the PDP to get the South- West. The South- South and the South- East are predominantly PDP already and are likely to remain so. The South- West today is not really crazy about the ruling party at the centre as it was prior to the 2015 election so it means that they may be open to looking at the other side. So, if you don’t have anything to offer them, then you are not going to get them to vote for you. So, they have two options- either to vote for the present arrangement or to sit down at home on election day. These are the realities why I believe the South- West should produce the national chairman.

You met Governor Akinwunmi Ambode whom you contested against in 2015 last weekend. How will you assess his performance so far?

I don’t think that will arise at this point in time. Yes, we met at the Experience 2017. He is the governor of Lagos state and that is the reality. The answer doesn’t come in a straightforward manner. Like I always say, you assess any administration based on its promises and the feelings of the people. I believe that at the appropriate time, that assessment on the Ambode administration will be made but for me personally, it doesn’t arise for now.
https://independent.ng/pdp-chair-im-not-campaigning-like-aspirants-jimi-agbaje/

only Bode George from the southwest is qualified for that position. as he is the only one that can't be bought over by any living thing. others can't be trusted.

bonechamberlain:
only Bode George from the southwest is qualified for that position. as he is the only one that can't be bought over by any living thing. others can't be trusted.

Truth, South South are scared of southwest cos of their loyalty to the North.

Its in them

bonechamberlain:
only Bode George from the southwest is qualified for that position. as he is the only one that can't be bought over by any living thing. others can't be trusted.

Pardon me sir, I'm not very vast with Nigerian politics. Kindly remind me - is it the same Bode George that is an ex-convict on corruption?

Bevista:
Pardon me sir, I'm not very vast with Nigerian politics. Kindly remind me - is it the same Bode George that is an ex-convict on corruption?

he is no longer an ex convict

Mean Dokpesy

can't understand..
with all this political relevancy of southwest.. the south south..still Don't TRUST them..

more like the prefer to lose than to trust Southwest for Chairmanship.

wonder why all those afons have been weeping all day over pdp matter.

you guys got the votes and sophistication.. what else.