At work, he has a turbo-charged personality. From Ibadan, his home, his fame has spread beyond the city, across Oyo State, Nigeria and beyond. Barrister Akeem Agbaje is the correct description of a disciplined lawyer.
One question many continue to ask the former Chairman of the Ibadan Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association is why he decided to join the race for governorship when he has a thriving legal career. Many who know him can vouch that he is not easily given to frivolities. Some even posited that he might not stand a chance, considering the number of “heavyweights” that are in the race.
Agbaje, who was called to the Bar in 1991, is usually quick to point out that he is not a neophyte as far as Oyo State politics is concerned. Explaining that his journey predates the Third and Fourth Republics, Agbaje once said “this may be my first time of contesting for a political post, but in terms of participation in the electoral process, I have consistently done this as a lawyer representing candidates and being part of a think-tank of elected officials that were successful”.
There is more than enough reason to believe that Agbaje knows the internal workings of government. And for those still in doubt, the cool, collected and accomplished lawyer said “there is really no government in this state, both civilian and military, that I have not had a very close relationship with”. Agbaje, a goal-getter knows the environment well and apart from having traversed all the Local Government Areas of the state, there is hardly any that he has not visited at least five times since 1999. That of course has given him reasonably good knowledge of the terrain and what the needs of the people are. His good physical interaction with members of the political class also gives him a fair advantage.
Interestingly, Agbaje might as well be described as one of the early entrants into the 2019 governorship race. He passed the stage most aspirants are currently celebrating almost a year ago. He had informed the party secretariat of the All Progressives Congress of his intention without any jamboree in 2017.
The sweet-natured lawyer is of the firm belief that the legacy of the present administration should be sustained. Of course he has a good relationship with the man at the helm of affairs. To him, Governor Abiola Ajimobi is a “leader and father”. Agbaje who believes in paying attention to details opined that “Oyo needs someone who is very knowledgeable about the state. Apart from education, agriculture, health and the judicial system which are key areas, we need to focus on infrastructure in terms of gas and power. We need to develop that and make it manifest in our economic development; we also need to deal with housing.”
He also believes to attract the kind of investment Oyo needs to take her to the next level, “we need to improve on the level of security that Ajimobi has started”.
Ask Barrister Agbaje how he intends to run against some of the aspirants perceived to be big spenders and he will likely make you understand that Oyo State is peculiar, in that voters are not easily swayed by immediate benefits. “Voters in Oyo State look at the aspirants, their background, pedigree and the relationship they have with them”, he said.
For those who do not know, this unassuming young man of diamond attended Lagelu Grammar School in Ibadan and the Univerity of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University.
For now, those who know much about Oyo politics are surely on the lookout and expecting a ‘surprise’ when the time comes for the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling APC to emerge. Surely, it is not out of place to picture Akeem Agbaje as the ‘surprise element’ waiting to be unveiled.
Packaged by Wole Adejumo
