Segun James
In their bid to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, and the party’s governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje, wednesday reconciled their differences.
At the ceremony which was witnessed by PDP leaders in the state including former deputy governor, Senator Kofo Akerele-Bucknor, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, former minister, Abimbola Ogunkelu, Remi Akitoye and Eddy Olafeso among others, George tagged it a “family meeting” which was meant to strengthen peace and the deepen amity in the party.
“We are here to discountenance the deliberate misinformation running riot out there. Contrary to the misleading opinion in some sections of the media, our party is not disrupted by any in-fighting. We are woven in a united vision, summed up in a thoughtful unanimity of purpose.
“We are emboldened by a well-articulated truth and summative defining purpose and shared beliefs. Yes, we might have had our differences in the past during the strongly contested gubernatorial primary. But that is now in the past. The contest had been won and lost. We have moved forward.”
George said the party in the state is now one, indivisible family, adding that “there is no rancour in our midst. There is no bitterness or hatred. We are no longer contesting anything with ourselves. Jimmy Agbaje is our unifying gubernatorial candidate. We support him wholeheartedly and with total commitment.
“The enemy is out there. The contest is now against the monstrous, dictatorial, reckless, godfather that has held our state hostage for the past 20 years.
“Our common enemy is the representative symbol of a party which has virtually appropriated the Lagosian heritage as a personal estate. Our party has now come out on a mission of rescue and salvage. Lagos must be redeemed and unchained from the manacles of APC.
He lamented the attack on journalists at the APC rally, saying such action can never happen in a well-disciplined party like the PDP
“Surely we can’t continue with this madness. We need a real, progressive fundamental change. This is where we stand today. Lagosians deserve better than this arbitrary, undisciplined, aberrational cabal holding down our people. They must be voted out.”
Also speaking, Agbaje lamented that those at the helm of the affairs of the state at present are self-serving leaders who must be replaced immediately. He recalled that Chief Lateef Jakande served only four years as governor of the state, yet his legacy remains, while the APC has been running the affairs of the state for 20 years with nothing to show.
Agbaje promised to bring character to governance and to be the change that the people urgently need.
He said the PDP in the state has become united and ready to take governance from the APC.
