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I’m Better Positioned More Than Ever To Win 2019 Poll ― Agbaje


•It's about freedom for Lagosians, he reiterates

Governorship candidate of Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has affirmed that his chances to win the 2019 governorship poll and become the next governor of the state are brighter than they were in 2015, saying that the brilliant performance he recorded then was as a result of the popularity he enjoined from Lagosians as he had neither political nor financial support from then PDP- led Federal Government.

Agbaje said this on Wednesday in Lagos at an interactive session with newsmen.

The PDP gubernatorial candidate, who was reacting to a question, said he enjoyed no backing from then PDP- led Federal Government headed by President Goodluck Jonathan, contrary to the belief held in some quarters.

Agbaje said besides the fact that he received no financial support from the then Federal Government, which could have made him a ready prey of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) by now, recalled that by the time the governorship poll was being held Jonathan had already lost his own election not to talk of offering any support.

“2019 is our best chance, not 2015, we have a better chance in 2019,” he said, adding: “I am ready to win, being committed. For Lagos,  it is about winning, am in a campaign mood.”

Speaking further, the PDP gubernatorial candidate reiterated that the real problem of Lagos was about giving freedom to the people who had been subdued for the past 20years, which he said he was committed to achieving, noting that it was not about a blueprint, but the character and leadership quality possessed by those waving such blueprint.

According to Agbaje, the real campaign for 2019 is between people’s Lagos and one-man Lagos, wondering what had been the legacy put in place in the state by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last 20 years since it had been in the saddle.

“What is their legacy of 20years? Is it in education? Is it in the health sector? Is it in transportation? Is it on the environment?” he queried, adding: “We have to judge what they have done in 20 years.”

Agbaje, who lamented that nothing got done in Lagos of today without vested interest partaking in it to the detriment of people of the state as was in cases of the Light Rail that had not been completed 12 years after it got started and the 800 blue buses that were yet to be put into used long after they were acquired, assured that the bulk would stop on his table if elected the next governor of Lagos.

“We have been talking of Light Rail for 12 years and because of vested interest, it is yet to be completed. Kenya did their own in four years. And we still talk of traffic lock-jam when already about 800 big buses had been acquired already but they had to go and lock them somewhere all because of vested interest,” Agbaje said.

On health, the PDP candidate said the Universal Basic Health coverage would be run through a well- structured and financed health insurance scheme, assuring that it was going to be a key priority for his administration if voted into office.

This was just as he described as a great shame the issue of waste management in the state, saying it was concern that after 20 years of governance, the ruling party and its various re-incarnations were still unable to provide and implement a framework that ensured the continuous cleanliness of Lagos.

Agbaje, while expressing his commitment to serve Lagos to the best of his ability, said his dream was that Lagos State must work for all her citizens as a place where they can live, thrive and have a future.

“This campaign is about a new future for Lagos built by the entire community of Lagosians. I am clear about the key imperatives towards a brighter future for Lagos and the role of government therein. The government must serve the safety and security of residents and visitors alike as they pursue their legitimate ambitions,” he stated.