January 10, 2015 – The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has accused the ruling party in Lagos State of hiring people to tear down posters of opponents, saying, it was an invitation to violence.
Agbaje spoke at a meeting held at his campaign office in Ilupeju area, between PDP chiefs and a delegation from the United States Embassy led by Ambassador James Entwine, the US Ambassador to Nigeria. “The destruction of the posters of opposition parties is unacceptable. It is a threat to peace,” he said.
In response, the American Ambassador said the PDP chiefs should encourage their supporters to eschew violence and turn the other cheek.
On the Ambassador’s delegation from the USA Consulate were: Mr. Tom Hines (Political Chief), Jeff Hawkins (Consul General), and Erica Chinsano (Political Officer).
PDP chieftains who were on hand to receive the Ambassador at the 207 Ikorodu Road, Lagos office of the PDP Candidate included: Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Captain Olatunji Shelle (PDP Lagos State Chairman), Chief Ola Apena (Deputy State Chairman), Alhaji Wahab Owokoniran (Lagos PDP State Secretary) and Barrister Taofik Gani (PDP State Secretary).
Others were: Chief Bode Oyedele, Chief Tunde Gafar, Barrister Adeleke Adefala and Chief Rahman Owokoniran.
Agbaje told the American delegation that his programme for Lagos State rested on a tripod, made up of: Security, Health and Education.
According to him, the programme formation was predicated on the need to provide a sustainable system upon which all other aspects of development would be achieved.
Answering a question from Ambassador James Entwistle on the Permanent Voters’ Cards, Agbaje said, “We are not comfortable with the issue of voters’ cards in Lagos. In Lagos, we have areas where PVCs are not ready. We are not just ready for this exercise. We have a disenfranchisement of voters.”
According to him, many people who had previously registered for voting now discovered their names missing in the centres where they originally registered, or that their voters’ cards had not been produced by the INEC head office in Abuja.
The American Ambassador explained that the Consulate had asked INEC to look into the problem with a view to cleaning up the process.
“We have been encouraging them to come up with creative solutions,” Ambassador Entwistle said.
Agbaje also told the visitors that PDP in Lagos State would be posting two electoral agents to a polling booth.
According to the Lagos PDP Chairman, Captain Shelle, INEC staff had been compromised, saying, this had been made easy by the location of the commission’s offices in the local government secretariats.
Supporting this observation, Senator Obanikoro said it would be a strategic move that would guarantee free and fair elections should INEC relocate its offices from council secretariats.
“In Lagos here, the experience is that the opposition is intimidated out of the collation centres on Election Day,” he said. “It would make more sense if INEC relocated its offices outside the council secretariats nationwide.”
“You guys are capable of running your elections. We only provide some advice,” the
US Ambassador said.
According to him, the Nigeria had a different electoral system from that of the USA, saying that unlike his own nation, the African nation ran a unified operation.
However, he said the US would continue to encourage Nigeria in her quest for transparent and credible elections. “We are not for violence,” Agbaje said. “We mean to run this election and our campaign on ideas and issues, in order to improve the life of Lagosians.”
