The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Jimi Agbaje, has said the party would resist any attempt to rig the forthcoming general elections in the state.
Speaking at town hall meetings in Eti Osa and Kosofe local councils on Sunday and Monday, Agbaje said he would follow in the footsteps laid by Second Republic governor of Lagos State, Lateef Jakande, whom he praised for making landmark innovations in the educational system and in the provisions of infrastructure like potable water and roads.
According to him, unlike the current All Progressives Congress (APC) dispensation that had spent the last 19 years and colossal budgets that had not led to remarkable improvement in the life of the Lagosian, Jakande’s four years had been replete with unforgettable achievements in several areas.
He added that the PDP was determined to prevent the rigging that had robbed him and other party candidates of victory in 2015.
In Eti-Osa, he met with members of the Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association (LERSA) who placed some demands before him, while he met with a cross-section of traditional rulers, members of the PDP as well as business and community leaders in Kosofe on Monday.
Addressing his audience in Ogudu, headquarters of Kosofe Local Government, Agbaje stated that the people of the state should resolve to guard and protect their votes this time.
Agbaje, who lost to the incumbent governor, Akinwunmi Ambode in 2015, told his audience that the PDP in the state would do everything lawful to win all elections slated to hold in the state.
Speaking in Yoruba, he said, “This (governorship) election is a process that would lead to the freedom of our people. It is a process that would free us from tyranny, graft, and waste. APC members know that they have been rejected by the people and the only option left for them to remain in power is to rig.
“This time, we are ready for them. There won’t be any opportunity for them to rig the coming election. I am urging our women to come out. You know if the women prevent you from wrongdoing and you try to venture into it, it would fail. We will vote peacefully and make sure that our votes count at the end of the day.”
He lamented the fact that the people of Lagos were in dire need of potable water, promising that when elected, his government would make conscious efforts towards resuscitating the moribund mini-waterworks across the state.
The governorship hopeful had, on Sunday, assured residents of the various communities in Lekki axis of the state that his government would build a new coastal road and demolish the toll gate on the Lekki-Epe Expressway.
Lamenting the fact that only one road led into the various communities within the axis, Agbaje said, “There should be a second road to the one we have here. We are going to ensure that the road is properly constructed. The road is there. It is just for us to properly rehabilitate it so that the people would properly utilise it.”
Taking a cue from the current traffic situation in the Apapa axis of the state, Agbaje stated that his government would ensure that the right measures were put in place to forestall a recurrence when the Dangote Refinery became operational.
“I live in the Apapa axis of the state so, I know what it is to live with traffic logjam. In two years’ time, the Dangote Refinery will come on board but the current rulers are not doing much to anticipate the disruption that would come with it,” he said.
On security, Agbaje said efforts would be geared towards community policing in a way that would ensure greater mobility that was needed for quick response in times of emergency.
Earlier, the president of the association, James Emadoye, reeled out series of issues plaguing the axis, with a call on Agbaje to address them on being voted into office.
Emadoye listed bad roads, flooding, lack of primary healthcare facilities as well as inadequate schools, as major headaches in the axis.
