Bola Tinubu, chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has taken a swipe at Jimi Agbaje, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for saying he wants to free Lagos.

Agbaje had said he will free the state from Alphabeta Consulting, a company which he claims receives a percentage of every dime Lagos earns in taxes and revenues.

Tinubu, former Lagos governor, reacted to the comment on Monday at the APC stakeholders’ meeting in Ikeja.

He said: “Those who said they wanted freedom should go and learn tailoring and vulcanising and we will do freedom for them later. They do not have the people.

“He was in the contest for the first and second times. He is in the contest for the third time. He will fail again.”

Tinubu said Lagos must deliver at least three million votes for the APC during the 2019 polls.

He said it is imperative for the ruling party to hold on to power and that its members “must vote en masse” for President Muhammadu Buhari.

The APC chieftain said: “Here in Lagos, we must maintain a strong outing for APC, a party of progress, development and economy. We must differentiate between a developmental economy and a container economy. We will not accept to get Nigeria corrupt again.

“We suffered 16 years of their failure and fake promises. We have made progress in Lagos We have become the fifth largest economy in Africa. We have six million votes in Lagos.

“Your target should be half; three million or the entire six million. We must vote en masse for President Muhammadu Buhari and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, our governorship candidate, senators, house of representatives and assembly candidates, and later, our chairmen and councillors.”

Tinubu urged the party’s leaders to woo back those who have left the APC, charging the local council chairmen and councillors to hold meetings with those who are aggrieved.