The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday urged Mr Jimi Agbaje, its governorship candidate in the last election, to show respect for the party leadership or face sanction.
The state chairman of the party, Dr Adegbola Dominic, gave the warning while speaking with newsmen in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that he was reacting to a statement made by Agbaje on Wednesday, in which he launched verbal attacks on George.
Agbaje had accused George of being behind the rumour that he had dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress(APC), describing the claim as fiction.
Agbaje said that he was still a member of PDP and asked George to leave the party if he lacked any value to add.
”People should please tell Bode George to shut up and leave the PDP if he lacks any value to add to the party.
”He should leave the party instead of being a dog in the manger hampering the progress of the party in Lagos.
”The false narrative (that he has dumped PDP)is a product of his sick mind, or how else do you describe someone who just sits down to concoct fiction and market it as a reality”, he had said.
Dominic said the party was shocked at Agbaje’s statements against Bode George, describing it as ”most unfortunate”
He said the party had expected Agbaje to show respect for the leadership of the party as well as elders.
Dominic said the party would not condone acts of indiscipline from anyone, or verbal attacks on people he said had laboured to build the party in the state.
”We are shocked that Agbaje could make these statements against Chief Bode George; we are really shocked.
”What he has said is not expected of him, the statements are disgusting and unfortunate. We will not condone this act of indiscipline,” he said.
Dominic blamed Agbaje for the electoral misfortunes of the party in the last elections, saying he worked at cross purposes with party members.
He alleged that Agbaje spent all the campaign funds on his own without consulting with the party leadership or elders.
The chairman said decision of Agbaje to ”personalise”the funds ensured party members were denied the necessary resources to prosecute the party’s plan for the elections.
The Chairman said it was George and others who spent their personal resources to achieve the little results the party recorded at the polls.
Dominic described Agbaje as an unfaithful party man who used the party’s ticket to realise his personal ambitions.
He said party members had lost absolute confidence in him, and he would never get any iota of the party’s support in the future.
Earlier, Special Adviser to George on Political Matters, Mr Uthman Shodipe, described Agbaje’s statements against his principal as disgusting and disgraceful.
He said it was unexpected of Agbaje to have used such a ”crude language”on George especially as he is from Yorubaland where respect for elders is the norm.
Shodipe said that George nurtured Agbaje’s political career in PDP, and his statements were not only disrespectful but portrayed him as ”an ingrate”.
”Agbaje’s response was sickening for a Yoruba person, very disgraceful and unacceptable.
”As Omoluabis in Yorubaland, we do not throw stones at elders,what Agbaje has done is basically to throw sledge hammer at his benefactor by referring to him as a sick mind,” he said.
He said Agbaje’s grouse with George was that he expected him (George) to do more than he gave himself as candidate during the last governorship polls .
Shodipe said Agbaje decided to work entirely on his own during the elections and George could not have forced himself on him.
On Agbaje’s claim that George was behind the rumour that he had left PDP, Shodipe dismissed the claim.
He said George said Agbaje was not showing he still belonged to the PDP based on what he called his inconsistency.
Shodipe described Agbaje as a threat to the progress of the party in the state and the South West, saying he once contested against George for PDP National Chairmanship to deny Lagos and the region the seat.