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Tag: Agbaje

  • Agbaje no match for Lagos APC, says Fashola

    Agbaje no match for Lagos APC, says Fashola

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje, is no match for the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.

    The governor said Agbaje’s performance in the 2007 election was a clear indication of the strength of his candidacy.

    Addressing reporters at an end-of-year briefing at the Lagos House, Alausa, Fashola said: “Agbaje is not a threat to us. Let’s go and check the result of the 2011 election.

    “He got three per cent of the votes cast. We have defeated the PDP in all elections since 1999. Our candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, is going to defeat Agbaje with your support.

    “This is not the place to experiment; one needs a lot of experience to achieve what we have done in Lagos.

    “When you look at what their party has done with the country, for instance, there are missing funds, non-functioning rail, epileptic power supply and others, do you want that to happen in Lagos?”

    On comments credited to Vice President Namadi Sambo that people were leaving Lagos because of high taxation, the governor described it as a mark of ignorance.

    Fashola said he believes  Sambo was misquoted or the utterance could be a reflection of the quality of people the country parades as its leaders.

    “That statement is a very serious display of ignorance if it was true that the Vice President said so.

    “How do you then justify the perception that people are leaving Lagos?

    “ Is the Value Added Tax (VAT) being collected from Lagos reducing compared to other states?

    “Is the air traffic into Lagos reducing? Or have you a significant reduction in traffic in Lagos? More hotels are being built in Lagos, companies are licensing and operating in Lagos.

    “Displaced people from other parts of Nigeria are moving into Lagos. Has the workers’ demand in Lagos reduced? Has the demand for hospital services reduced?

    “So it is a very grave statement to make. That is why I said may be he was misquoted because that is the Chairman of the Nigeria Economic Council.

    “So if he misunderstands what is happening in the nation’s commercial and economic nerve centre it may be a very revealing index to his understanding of the economy.

    “It may also confirm to you that some of the things you heard from the president that he receives all sorts of contradictory advice and may be this is part of it.

    “It is a very dangerous statement to make. It is either ignorant or diabolical and either way it is not good because it tells you then why the economy is not functioning.

    The governor who reeled out the achievements of his administration in different sectors said the APC had delivered dividends of democracy to lagosians.

    On the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) distribution and the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the elections, Fashola said the real head of the commission should be a statistician and not a professor or an academician.

    “It is not about theory, it is about practical. People who should also do this job should be those who have managed distribution activities in the country. It is not a judicial work but about logistics,” he said.

  • Lagos PDP governorship primary: Obanikoro, Agbaje reconcile

    Lagos PDP governorship primary: Obanikoro, Agbaje reconcile

    The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State was resolved yesterday, following the intervention of the Presidency.

    Former Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro and other governorship aspirants have agreed to work with the party’s governorship candidate, Mr  Jimi Agbaje, for the party’s success in next year’s election.

    Obanikoro had engaged in a war of words with Agbaje and PDP leaders -Chief Bode George and Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe- over the party’s controversial governorship primary.

     He had sued the PDP for not addressing a petition he wrote over the conduct of the primary, which he described as a sham.

    The reconciliation was announced at a briefing by Agbaje in Lagos yesterday.

    Those in attendance were Vice President Namadi Sambo, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, Lagos PDP Chairman Col. Tunde Shelle (rtd) and Mrs Modupe Sasore. Others were Tokunboh Kamson, Deji Doherty and Babatunde Gbadamosi, all of who contested with Obanikoro and Agbaje.

    However, George and Ogunlewe didn’t show up at the event. Also, Mr Dickson, an aspirant, was absent.

    Sambo flew in to Lagos on Tuesday night for the reconciliation talks, which lasted till the early hours of yesterday.

    Agbaje said through the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Vice President, “all the aspirants in the governorship primaries of Lagos State have agreed to smoke the peace pipe and gather under one banner”.

    “We listened to the voice of Nigerians, Lagosians in particular. They asked us to give and take. We have just done that. We were asked to put our house in order. Differences, animosities, divergences are hereby declared dead and buried.

    “It is my pleasure and privilege to speak to you today as the candidate for the governorship of our dear state on the platform of the PDP. All the different voices in PDP have come under this big, strong and formidable PDP umbrella.”

    Agbaje said his mission was to ensure that people have an opportunity to realise their aspirations, fulfil their potential and provide people-centred leadership that focuses on transforming lives.

    In his address, Obanikoro said despite the inadequacies of our governorship primary, we have agreed today that Agbaje is the PDP candidate in Lagos State.

    “We must realise that in life, there is a time for everything and it is time to close ranks. There is no winner or loser in this endeavour that we have just ended,” Obanikoro stated.

    Sambo thanked all aspirants for accepting Agbaje as the party’s governorship candidate and promising to work for him at the poll.

    The Vice President said: “I know Jimi Agbaje well. He is a gentleman, a thoroughbred Lagosian. He will be a good governor in Lagos, if elected.”

  • PDP denies manipulating Lagos governorship primary

    PDP denies manipulating Lagos governorship primary

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied allegation by former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro that its December 8 governorship primary held in Lagos State was manipulated in favour of the winner, Jimi Agbaje.

    The PDP accused Obanikoro of working to frustrate its plan to field a credible and lawful candidate for the next governorship election in Lagos.

    It accused Obanikoro of storming the election venue with about “30 heavily armed Mobile policemen.”

    It contended that contrary to Obanikoro’s claim, it complied with its Electoral Guidelines in the conduct of the Lagos primary. It also denied Obanikoro’s allegation of over voting during the primary election.

    The party’s position is contained in three separate processes it filed in reaction to the suit filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja by Obanikoro, with which he sought to among others, annul the outcome of the Lagos governorship primary.

    The processes include a notice of preliminary objection, affidavit to show cause and counter affidavit.

    They were filed for the party by Paul Ananaba (SAN).

    The PDP, which urged the court to dismiss Obanikoro’s suit, argued that even if there was non-compliance with the Electoral Guideline, “it was not substantial to warrant the prayers sought by the plaintiff.”

    In its affidavit to show why Obanikoro’s prayers should not be granted, the party denied that there was over voting, arguing that its electoral committee acted within the guideline and conducted a free exercise.

     

  • How George, Agbaje rigged Lagos primary – Obanikoro

    How George, Agbaje rigged Lagos primary – Obanikoro

    A former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has accused a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Chief Olabode George and the winner of the party’s governorship primary, Jimi Agbaje of manipulating the election to favour the latter.

    Obanikoro, in an affidavit he filed with a suit he initiated against the election, alleged that George and Agabje deliberately disrupted proceedings at the election venue, using thugs and state security officers to achieve their aim.

    The defeated governorship aspirant in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/994/2014 is seeking among others, the nullification of election outcome on the ground that the exercise violated the party’s electoral guidelines in many areas, including the production of result in excess of accredited voters.

    Defendants in the suit are the PDP and the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC).

    “Sometime at about 11am, one Chief Bode George and Mr. Jimi Agbaje, a co-contestant arrived the venue of the election with armed thugs, who kept a menacing vigil at the entrance of the election venue.

    “Sometime at about 1pm, the said Chief Bode Goerge, a chieftain of the 1st defendant returned to the venue of the election with a team of armed mobile policemen and armed officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA( where his wife is the Chairman), making the atmosphere at the venue to become exceedingly charged.

    “The thugs earlier brought by Chief Bde George and Mr. Jimi Agbaje, at this point, began to disrupt the venue by throwing bottles, stones and firing gun shots in the direction of the delegates loyal to me and preventing other delegates loyal to me from entering the venue.

    “The gun shots attracted another detachment of policemen, who engaged the thugs in a gun and tear gas battle, during which many of the delegates loyal to me ran for dear lives to avoid being caught in the crossfire between the police and the armed thugs.

    “Many of my delegates, who ran for their dear lives in the ensuing violence and gun battle never returned and were consequently disenfranchised as it took the police several hours to restore some semblance of normalcy.

    “The police recovered five guns and rounds of ammunitions and live cartridges from the thugs brought by Chief Bode George and Mr. Jimi Agbaje. Thereafter, the delegates brought by Chief Bode George and Mr. Jimi Agbaje started arriving the venue of the election and accreditation which ought to have started since 8am started at about 6.30pm.”

  • Obanikoro rejects Agbaje’s victory

    Obanikoro rejects Agbaje’s victory

    Former Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro who lost the governorship primary to businessman Jimi Agbaje, was yesterday seething with anger. He said the only time the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos had peace was while the party’s Southwest leader, Chief Olabode George was in prison. George got a state pardon.

    Obanikoro was addressing the outcome of the party’s governorship primary on Monday in which George’s preferred candidate, was announced winner.

    The former minister who rejected the result, describing the primary election as a “sham”, said before George went to prison the party was in “crises galore’, which got boiling again after his release from prison.

    Obanikoro rebuffed the former Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) boss’ claim that he (Obanikoro) was the one who brought thugs to the venue of the election, stressing that George had thugs and a vehicle loaded with arms at the premises.

    “Because it is important for the people to know. Let me say that the only time we had some semblance of peace in Lagos PDP was when Bode George was in prison.

    “Before and after coming out, it has always been crises galore. He always creates crisis because he is not democratic in any shape and form.

    “If you want to dictate, do it in your house. Even in your house these days, you have to sit down with your children and come to terms with the realities of the day,” said Obanikoro.

    Obanikoro accused George of sponsoring “SURE P thugs” who occupy Lagos roads illegally, adding that aside using thugs to harass his supporters on the day of the election, the leader tried to stop the police from doing their job.

    He accused George of telling the party leaders not to vote a Muslim, adding that it was the same method George used in 2007 to force  Funsho Williams on the party.

    Obanikoro vowed to appeal the outcome of the primary for the interest of justice and fairness.

    Obanikoro said: “I am not going to send congratulatory message to anybody because of the manner the election was conducted and the processes that led to the election.”

    George had objected to Obanikoro’s governorship ambition, saying that it was borne out of desperation and extreme covetousness.

    He said his resignation, barely six months after his appointment, was unfair and annoying.

    The former PDP National Deputy Chairman also chided the former minister for peddling falsehood about the circumstances surrounding his resignation.

    He said Obanikoro lied to the Lagos PDP when he said that he was advised to resign by President Goodluck Jonathan to  join the governorship race.

    George said there was no way the president would have asked the former minister to quit the federal executive council and vie for the governorship without carrying party leaders along.

  • NBA, Sagay back extension of emergency rule in northern states

    Some prominent lawyers on Friday in Lagos expressed support for the extension of the six-month emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.

    Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the lawyers said the prevailing situation in the North-East zone of the country had justified the extension.

    The Senate had on November 7 approved the extension of the emergency rule following a letter to the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Jonathan had sought the approval of the lawmakers to extend the emergency rule imposed on the three states experiencing insurgency.

    The expiration of the initial six months declared on May 14 had necessitated the request.

    A constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), told NAN that the declaration of emergency rule in the states had positively affected the fight against the insurgents.

    Sagay said, “It has resulted not only in decimating their numbers; it has resulted in reducing their attacks and the danger to which the innocent civilian population has been exposed to.

    “The extension of emergency is justified, it has been effective, the work is not done and so they need more time to complete the job.’’

    The Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Mr. Onyekachi Ubani, said the president acted constitutionally by sending the request to the National Assembly.

    “They have realised that they have not achieved the optimal result and that is why the state of emergency is being extended.’’

    He, however, urged security agencies to redouble their efforts toward bringing the insurgency to a quick end.

    Speaking in the same vein, a human rights lawyer, Mr. Fred Agbaje, noted that the federal government had the constitutional duty to protect the lives and property of its citizens.

    “If the extension is for another five years and it will bring sanity to these areas so be it.

    “ I would have been disappointed if the National Assembly had not granted the request.

    “It would have meant that they are in support of the wanton killings being perpetrated in these states by these insurgents,’’ Agbaje said.

     

  • Segun Agbaje is Banker of the Year

    Segun Agbaje is Banker of the Year

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Segun Agbaje has been announced the 2013 Banker of the Year – Africa by the World Finance Banking Awards.

    In a statement, the bank said the World Finance Banker of the Year – Africa Award is conferred on outstanding bankers who have achieved the most with regards to innovation, profitability and sustainability of their organisation.

    It said the award also takes into recognition an individual that has been an influential and inspirational leader, has overseen strong financial performance for his organisation and has successfully guided his institution to new heights in its industry.

    According to World Finance, Segun Agbaje has won the coveted “Banker of the Year – Africa 2013”. It said the category was one of the most sought after categories in the 2013 Banking Awards, adding that someone has to win and the judging panel confirmed that Mr. Agbaje is at the vanguard of African Banking and has earned the reputation and recognition as a truly accomplished and highly respected Banker, locally and internationally.

    It said his commitment to leading an efficient institution has ensured that GTBank maintains higher margins and the lowest cost to income ratio amongst its peers, despite a relatively smaller branch network when compared to its peers in the country.

     

  • Lagos 2015: Obanikoro, Agbaje, others warm up for governorship

    Lagos 2015: Obanikoro, Agbaje, others warm up for governorship

    Former Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Afenifere chieftain Mr. Jimi Agbaje, former House of Representatives member Hon. Setonji Koshoedo, Mr. Demola Doherty, and Dr. Ade Dosunmu are among the politicians warming up for the Lagos State governorship, ahead of 2015.

    Obanikoro, the chairman of the Nigerian National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NNSITF), was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in 2007. He had defected from the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to the PDP, almost two years before the election. He lost to Governor Babatunce Fashola (SAN) at the poll.

    Party sources said that the politician from Lagos Central is fortifying his structures in preparations for the governorship primaries. It is not certain, if his ambition will be supported by the pro-Bode George forces in the party. In 2007, George camp rooted for the widow of the late Mr. Funso Williams, who was the party’s 2003 flag bearer. However, Obanikoro has resources to run a state-wide campaigns.

    Since the beginning of this year, PDP leaders have been mounting pressures on Agbaje to defect to the party, with the assurance that he would be offered the ticket in 2015. Among party leaders who had visited him were George and former Works minister Senator Seye Ogunlewe. A source said: “The pressures being mounted on Agbaje this time around has the tacit blessing of president Goodluck Jonathan, whose party, the PDP, is bent on capturing Lagos State. PDP is looking for a credible candidate to face the ACN or APC candidate. Agbaje is popular and he is perceived as a politician without blemish. But he has not given a definite answer to the PDP leaders wooing him”.

    Close associated of Agbaje confided that, though he has a governorship ambition, he is reluctant to join the PDP because of the party’s reputation in the Southwest. “Jimi Agbaje is a progressive politician and he is not desperate. He is interested in serving Lagosians and he is fit to rule, but there is the fear that his defection to the PDP may polarise his support base. He does not want to take a wrong step. So, he is being careful”, said a source.

     

  • Agbaje denies joining PDP

    Afenifere chieftain Mr. Jimi Agbaje has denied media reports that he has joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State.

    The former governorship candidate of the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) dissociated himself from the report, saying it was the antics of “spin doctors”.

    He admitted that prominent Nigerians have been mounting pressure on him to join their parties, but he said he has not joined any party.

    Agbaje said: “I have not joined any party. Some people are spinning. People have been coming to me to join their parties, but I have not joined any party.”