Jimi Agbaje: The pharmacist hoping to be third time lucky in Lagos governorship race
For Jimi Agbaje, this may be his best chance to finally get the mandate he has been craving since 2007. Agbaje will be contesting the governorship election for a third time in 2019.
He emerged winner of the People’s Democratic Party’s primary election on Friday and will now fly the party’s banner at the general election in four months’ time.
In 2007, Agbaje lost to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s anointed candidate, Babatunde Raji Fashola. In 2015, although he pulled his weight, the APC machinery was eventually too much for him to garner more votes than Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
Agbaje will be hoping he is third time lucky in the next election.
And why not, he’ll fancy his chances against APC’s elected candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, following what looked like a mess of an electoral process by the ruling party earlier this week. The manner with which Ambode was ousted from the governorship race appears not to have gone down well with majority of non-partisan Lagos residents and Agbaje will be hoping to capitalise on that.
The man, Jimi Agbaje
Agbaje was was born in Lagos 61 years ago, on March 2, 1957, to late Chief Julius Kosebinu and Mrs. Margaret Olabisi Agbaje. He is the second born but first male child of five children. His father was a banker while his mother was a teacher.
He attended St Gregory’s College, Lagos and University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), where he obtained a degree in Pharmacy.
Agbaje later became an astute businessman and founded his company, JAYKAY Pharmaceutical and Chemical Company Limited, in 1982.
He is married to Abiola Agbaje, a lawyer, with whom he has three children.
Public Office Experience
JK, as he his popularly called, held the position as National Secretary of the Nigerian Association of General Practice Pharmacists (NAGPP) from 1987 to 1990, and later, the association’s National Chairman from 1990 to 1993. He also served as Chairman of the Pharmaceutical society of Nigeria, Lagos State from 1994 to 1997. During this period, he was also on the Lagos Hospitals Management Board.
He was, between 1986 to 1993, a member of the National Drug Formulary and Essential Drugs List.
Agbaje is also a member of the Board of other organizations, such as the Atlantic Hall Secondary School Epe and Jimi Agbaje Outreach, a charity project created to help the less privileged.
He was, at some point, the national treasurer for Afenifere, a socio-political organization.
2019
Compared to Sanwo-Olu, Agbaje is not as deeply involved in grassroots or party politics. He is not an average Nigerian politician, and had been popular for his slogan, “I am not one of them”, in the lead up to the 2015 poll.
In fact, his inactivity in the political space since he lost the election in 2015 hasn’t done him any favours in bolstering his relevance and popularity among Lagos residents. Such seeming non-commitment to the cause is widely considered as his Achilles heel.
He will, however, be expected to give the APC candidate a run for his money as he did against Ambode in 2015. A lot of sympathy votes are highly likely to go in his favour, and with a solid campaign team behind him, he may very well be the dark horse in 2019’s general poll.
