The Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress (Lagos) today warned voters in the state to take a closer and critical look at the personality of the governorship candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, berating him for saying that “South-South can collapse Nigeria’s economy” if President Goodluck Jonathan is not re-elected during the February 14 presidential election.

The party in a release signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, warned that “Lagosians will be making the greatest mistake in history if a candidate that lacks training in simple economics and the monumental power of a diversified economy is voted in error.”

According to Igbokwe, “APC is at a loss and completely dumbfounded that a candidate that says it wants to govern a dynamic, powerful, prosperous, and enlightened state like Lagos is resorting to this type of cheap and strange blackmail in the 21st century in order to win elections.

“For Jimi Agbaje’s information, South-South crude oil has become a curse to Nigeria instead of blessing. Crude oil has ruined our capacity to reason, to think and to explore other areas like Agriculture, Science & Tech, Industrialisation, Building & Construction industry, etc.

“Japan, Germany, France, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland, Singapore etc have no oil and yet they have given a good account of themselves in the global economy through commitments, power of critical thinking and dint of hard work.

“Even in the Third World there are many countries that are surviving without oil. In 1997 Dell computers made more money than Nigeria with just 12,000 workers. MEARSK Containers, a shipping company, Apple, HP make more money than Nigeria and yet Jimi Agbaje, a pharmacist cannot think in the 21st century.

“We have told anybody who cares to listen in Lagos that Jimi Agbaje is a pretender, and a hustler who lacks the capacity and cognate experience to dream of governing a state like Lagos. Jimi has never been a Counselor, he has never served in a Local Government, and he has never been a Commissioner, a House of Assembly member or a Special Adviser. He has never served at the Federal level either. So where is the experience for Lagosians to trust him with the treasury of Lagos?”

Lagos APC that while “there is nothing wrong in anybody dreaming big . . . Lagosians are not ready to allow a learner to experiment with the destiny of Lagos when there is an alternative candidate. That alternative is Akiwunmi Ambode, who served Lagos State for 27 years as a Civil Servant and retired as the State’s Accountant General.

“Those who know better tell us that the power of a man is in his head and not inside the soil as Jimi Agbaje will want us to believe. Nigerians are looking for a day when attention would be paid to other areas in Nigeria’s economy instead of running this mono economy that has ruined and destroyed our country.”

•Photo shows Jimi Agbaje.

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