At a youth interactive session organised by the Directorate of Youth Mobilisation of the PDP in Lagos yesterday, the Lagos State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Jimi Agbaje, said President Goodluck Jonathan was being criticised unfairly, adding that the President is effectively tackling corruption. He said:
“I don’t know if you read recently the report by Transparency International on corruption. They say Jonathan is not fighting corruption. Of all the past Presidents and heads of state, including military, it is on record today that Jonathan’s record in fighting corruption is the best. They say he is not fighting corruption but he has the highest score in the last 20 years among those that have been fighting corruption.”
The PDP candidate said Jonathan was a true democrat and that was why he signed the Freedom of Information Bill into law. He said despite the insults being hurled at Jonathan, the President refused to intimidate anyone. He said the fact that Jonathan chose Prof. Attahiru Jega to head the Independent National Electoral Commission showed that Jonathan was more interested in free and fair elections than power. He said:
“It is only because Jonathan allowed democracy, that is why they can be insulting him the way they like. The person that was there before Jonathan, could they talk to him like that? But you see democracy is about freedom of speech, freedom of choice but do they allow that?” Jonathan has allowed freedom of information. There is no freedom of information in Lagos State.
They have not yet passed the law and they talk about democracy. Jonathan chose an impartial person to run INEC because he believes in democracy and that is why the elections are more competitive. If it was our own person, we would not be campaigning like this because we would believe that we had won.”