… Defectors cite internal crises, legal disputes as deal-breakers
….PDP’s collapse in Lagos a strategic consolidation, says Jandor
By Sodiq Adelakun
The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suffered a devastating political collapse as its spokesman, senior executives, and 2023 legislative candidates officially decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing systemic dysfunction and failed leadership.
In a coordinated political realignment announced on Monday in Ikeja, the Lagos PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Hon. Hakeem Amode, led dozens of key defectors in a public declaration of allegiance to the APC.
The group was received by former PDP governorship candidate and now APC chieftain, Dr Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, also known as Jandor, at a press briefing held at Liberty House on Adeniyi Jones Avenue.
Addressing journalists, Amode laid bare the reasons behind the dramatic exit.
“After years of service and unwavering commitment to the PDP’s ideals, we can no longer overlook the dysfunction plaguing the party.
“The PDP has deviated from the values that once made it the largest and most respected political platform on the continent. Today, it is riddled with internal crises, unresolved legal disputes, and a disunited leadership” he stated.
According to him, the PDP under Hon. Philip Aivoji’s leadership has been marred by disunity, strategic missteps, and an unwillingness to support candidates.
“Under Hon. Philip Aivoji’s leadership, the party has suffered from poor cohesion and strategic ineptitude, which proved costly in the 2023 elections.
“Victory is impossible under such circumstances, and today we are taking control of our political destinies to better serve the people of Lagos State.”
The defectors include top-tier party operatives, former candidates, and long-serving members who cited internal collapse and irrelevance of the PDP as motivation.
Alhaja Safurat Abdulkareem, a two-time deputy governorship candidate, declared her alignment with the APC in pursuit of “a more purposeful political direction.” Former PDP Deputy Chairman Chief Ola Apena dismissed the PDP as “dead” and incapable of revival.
Also among the defectors is Prince Rufus Ademola Adeniyi, former Assistant State Organising Secretary (Lagos West), who joined the exodus alongside Hon. Jerry Afemikhe, a former PDP House of Representatives candidate for Surulere Constituency I. Pastor Gbenga Ogunleye, media aide to the 2023 PDP governorship candidate, was also present among the defectors.
From the ranks of PDP’s 2023 Lagos State House of Assembly candidates, the defectors include Hon. Keshinro Abiodun (Epe State Constituency I), Hon. Akeem Jinadu (Eti-Osa I), Hon. Ibrahim Balogun (Kosofe II), Hon. Taofeek Bolaji Obanikoro (Lagos Island I), Hon. Tunde Pratt (Lagos Mainland II), Hon. Saheed Aregbesola (Oshodi-Isolo II), Hon. Sulaimon A. Thompson (Surulere I), and Hon. Taofeek O. Kuye (Ajeromi-Ifelodun I).
Also confirming his defection was Hon. Adeyemi Kazeem, former PDP Chairman in Ojo Local Government Area.
Jandor, who returned to the APC after flying the PDP’s flag in the 2023 gubernatorial election, described the development as the final collapse of PDP’s political structure in Lagos.
“We have successfully collapsed the entire structure of the PDP into the APC now. There is no point in belonging to a political party that has no determination and purpose of winning elections. The PDP is a social club, not interested in winning,” he said.
He accused entrenched PDP leaders of actively working against the party’s electoral prospects.
“The Lagos State PDP leadership is ensuring that the party does not win and the party had been doing this for over two decades now, wasting people’s destiny. The PDP is a sinking ship. In Nigeria of today, there is no other viable platform apart from the APC.”
The PDP’s 2023 candidate for Kosofe Constituency II, Hon. Ibrahim Balogun expressed regret over his prolonged loyalty to the PDP.
“We will work for Tinubu in 2027. We are going en masse into the APC. Jandor is a visionary leader to follow because he is a man of the people.
“This decision has not been made lightly. It reflects our commitment to taking control of our political destinies in order to better serve our people and the loyal supporters who continue to stand by us,” Amode added.
The defectors are expected to be formally welcomed by the Lagos State APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, at a later date.