THE 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State, Mr Olajide Adediran, popularly called Jandor, yesterday, dumped the party citing internal crisis within the fold.
Adediran, who made the announcement at a media briefing in Ikeja, Lagos, promised to unveil his next move soon.
He, however, accused some PDP leaders including a former Deputy National chairman of the party, Olabode George of allegedly working against the party during the 2023 elections.
Adediran said: “I stand before you today with a heavy heart but a clear conscience. We have dedicated ourselves to the ideals of democracy, good governance, and the pursuit of a better Lagos.
“However, it has become evident that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, both at the state and national levels, has failed to uphold these principles.
“The persistent anti-party activities, internal sabotage, and lack of discipline within the party have severely undermined our collective efforts and made it impossible for genuine progress to be achieved.
“As the governorship candidate in the 2023 election, we ran a campaign based on transformation, development, and the desire for positive change but unfortunately, the internal betrayals and lack of commitment from the party leadership hindered our chances and left many of our supporters bewildered and disillusioned.
“Today is 15 days to exactly two years that I contested for the office of the Governor of Lagos State.
“During that electioneering process, we enjoyed passionate and unwavering support from party loyalists, especially at the grassroots, however, some leaders within the party saw our candidacy as a threat to their daily bread.
“A few days to the election, the supposed leader of the party in Lagos State, Olabode George, who had earlier publicly campaigned against the presidential candidate of the PDP, openly declared support for the gubernatorial candidate of another party in a press conference and also advised Lagosians not to vote for the party he claimed to be leading as a member of the Board of Trustees.
“After the election, we officially complained to the party at the national level believing and expecting that the appropriate sanctions would be applied to all those that committed these anti-party offences by the provisions of the party constitution, but to our utmost chagrin, the party at the centre appointed George as Vice Chairman of a disciplinary committee.
“We have waited this long, to see if there will be some sort of respite, but what we see, even at the top is that the same set of leaders that campaigned and worked openly against the party are the ones holding the aces today.
“After deep reflection and extensive consultations with my family, political associates, and supporters, we have made the difficult decision to resign from the Peoples Democratic Party.
“Our commitment to the people of Lagos remains unwavering. We will continue to advocate for policies and initiatives that will uplift our state, regardless of our political affiliation. Moving forward, we will be engaging with stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians to determine the next course of action that best serves the interests of Lagosians.”
He’s an undignified fellow— Bode George
In his reaction to the allegation of working against the interest of the party, George described Adediran as an undignified fellow.
The PDP leader said: “I would not respond to him. He is a boy and my children are not his age mates.
“He came to the party, he didn’t come to the party, that is his problem. He is the one who knows the lies he has been telling about me, I am not a member of any Disciplinary Committee; he is just lying about it.
“It is those who brought him that should cover their faces in shame, what they painted him to be is not exactly what he is.
“It is good riddance to bad rubbish. I don’t want to reply to him, but just to say he is an undignified fellow. I wish him the best of luck.”
