The Governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections in Lagos, Mr Jimi Agbaje, has denied reports that he had dumped the opposition party.
His media aide, Felix Oboagwina, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that social media posts that Agbaje had left the PDP to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) were untrue.
One of the posts sighted by a NAN political correspondent both on WhatsApp and Facebook on Wednesday read “Lagos PDP finally emptied as Jimi Agbaje defects to APC’’.
He said that Agbaje was still very much in PDP and that there was no way he could have joined APC on social media.
“There is nothing like that, nothing like that at all. He is still in PDP; he has not defected.
“How can people say he has defected on social media? He is too big for that; he is in PDP,” Oboagwina said.
When asked if there were plans by his principal to dump the PDP for APC, he answered in the negative.
This is not the first time Agbaje is debunking reports that he had dumped the PDP for APC.
Shortly after the governorship election in March, which he lost to Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu of APC, reports went viral that Agbaje had dumped the PDP for APC over differences with party elders.
However, the PDP candidate swiftly through a press statement issued by Oboagwina, who was Director of Media of his campaign organisation, denied the reports.
The PDP governorship candidate said the “rumour’’ was the handiwork of people he called mischief makers and vowed not to leave the party.
“I will remain in PDP despite the campaign of calumny being waged against me in the media by a few elders.
“For a party that has twice accorded me the honour of running on its platform, it should be regarded as uncharitable to say I am abandoning the party, ‘’ he had said.
Agbaje also dismissed the allegation of mismanagement of campaign funds by some party elders, saying he spent the money according to directives from the national secretariat.
Lagos PDP has been enmeshed in leadership crisis lately, giving room for all kinds of speculations and leading to some defections.
