The Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has said he was very much in the race and has not stepped down for anybody as being speculated.
“I have not stepped down. And I will not step down for anybody,” Agbaje said in a statement, on Wednesday, by his Director of Media and Publicity, Felix Oboagwina.
The clarification came after a purported endorsement of the candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP). Daily Trust reports that PDP is a prominent member of the coalition.
Agbaje had dismissed the purported endorsement as a blackmail.
Reiterating this in a separate statement, Agbaje said he has no plan whatsoever to step down.
He said, “Neither my party nor I have any arrangement with anybody to drop out of the race. And at this point in time, no Jupiter can even make such a suggestion to me. It is taboo. It is indecent. It will not happen. Such has not even crossed my mind.
“To step down for whom? Stepping down will be an unfortunate betrayal of the hopes and dreams of millions of Lagosians who consider me as the only alternative to the impunity and corruption they have suffered in the hands of the Pharaoh who has selfishly cornered the state and its resources these past 20 years.
“The results of the last elections, despite its being cooked and falsified to favour APC, show that Jimi Agbaje and PDP have a formidable standing and they are the preferred team to take over the leadership of the state.
“We are the glimmer of hope. We are the light at the end of the dark tunnel. And I will never be part of anything to betray our people’s trust and hope. So help me God.”