Lagos PDP Dumps Jimi Agbaje, Endorses Bode George as PDP National Chairmanship Candidate

The Lagos branch of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has reportedly dumped Jimi Agbaje and endorsed in his place Chief Bode George as its candidate for the National Chairmanship position as the race for the opposition party’s top job kicks off in earnest.

Reports reaching us on Wednesday is that George has been accepted by party members in Lagos and his name will be put forward at the party’s national headquarters in Wadata Plaza.

While the choice of George is not so surprising to political observers in the state, his emergence is a departure from earlier reports that Agbaje, the party’s governorship candidate in the last governorship elections, was the man being considered for endorsement in Lagos.

The failure to endorse Agbaje might not be unconnected to the fact that he is still largely seen as a ‘political infant’ because he is yet to hold any strong political position in spite of being in politics for around a decade and contesting in two governorship elections.

Also explaining why Agbaje was not picked, factional chairman of the PDP in Lagos, Moshood Salvador said that at no time did Agbaje express interest in the position at the headquarters as only George put his name forward.

George is much popular and is a veteran of politics in Nigeria, having once served as military administrator of Ondo State. He was also former national vice-chairman of the PDP in the southwest zone. George’s controversial nature is one reason political watchers are sceptical that Lagos will be able to produce the next national chairman of the opposition party.