Agbaje, has said that the National Leader of the All
Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is no longer
a force to reckon with in the politics of the South-West
geo-political zone.
Agbaje premised his argument on the loss of Ekiti State governorship
election by the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP.
According to him, the era of taking voters for granted
and imposing candidates on them had gone and that if
care was not taken, the APC would also lose to the
opposition in the states controlled by the party in the
South-West. Presently, with the loss of Ekiti, APC now controls only
four states in the region – Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Osun;
with elections coming up in Osun State next month.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, the legal
practitioner said, "With the revelation coming from the
South-West, the people are saying they are tired of one
man dictating the affairs of an entire region.
"People are not fooled anymore in this part of the
country. They are no longer blind. Tinubu is like an iroko
tree which cannot make a forest. People can no longer
accept one person dictating the political and economic
fortunes of this region.
"Nigerians need genuine leaders who place the interests
of the people above their personal aggrandisement,
especially in the aspect of parties imposing candidates
on the electorate".
Agbaje added that the Ekiti election also proved that the
power of incumbency was no longer a determining factor
in Nigerian politics.
He said, "This also shows that the President could not be
sure of re-election in 2015 if he does not meet up with
people's expectations. Incumbency is nothing when the
people's will is strong".
In a response to debunk the insinuation of his waning
influence in South-West politics, Tinubu, who spoke
through his media aide, Sunday Dare, said it was
impossible that the loss of Ekiti State governorship
election to the PDP was an indication of his irrelevance.
"It is illogical", he said.
Dare said the APC chieftain became a force to be
reckoned with after the PDP lost five states to it, adding
that the loss of one state meant nothing to the party.
He said, "Do not forget that this is a democratic
dispensation; the will of the people must be respected.
Tinubu has repeatedly said that as long as elections are
free and fair, there is no need to fight".
The media aide, however, said President Goodluck
Jonathan and the Independent National Electoral
Commission had questions to answer over the Ekiti
election held a fortnight ago.
He said, "There are still many issues arising from the
Ekiti State election. Why did the President victimise the
opposition leaders? What role did INEC play in the
election that gave a win to PDP?
"These and many other questions need to be answered
before we can say APC lost in Ekiti".
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