There seems to be no end in sight to the crisis rocking the Lagos chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as the recent pronouncement by the party’s flagbearer at the last general election, Mr. Jide Abdul-Azeez Adeniran, that he is the party leaders has further polarised the party, with longstanding members of the party rejecting the statement and describing Adeniran as overambitious and liability to the party.
Responding to Jandor’s statement, the state PDP Chairman, Philip Olabode Aivoji, refuted his claim, saying, “The State Chairman of the party remains the leader of the party in Lagos State, and Section 22 of the party constitution is sacrosanct on the establishment and composition of the party state caucus, and there is nowhere the candidate of the party is mentioned as a member of such a leadership position.”
The state chairman, however, asked Jandor to apologise and withdraw the statement, which he described “as an affront” and casting aspersions on the party leaders.
The war of words between the party chairman and Jandor had been triggered by members of the Jandor Campaign Organisation, who had accused the party chairman, Aivojiof, of betraying the party by taking financial inducements during the last election and supporting another party.
In another development, the forum of PDP Local Government Chairmen in Lagos has placed the blame for the party’s loss at the last general elections squarely on Jandor’s shoulders.
The chairmen of the forum, Adegboyega Adegbesan and MalomoAdelabi, made the remarks in a statement jointly signed and made available to the media.
The statement alleges Jandor’s disregard for advice from the party’s leadership, including the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was a key factor in the loss.
They accuse him of creating internal conflict by “interfering with the emergence of candidates at all levels,” leading to legal disputes within the party.
It reads, “Jandor had disregarded the party’s traditions and structure from the very first day he became the party’s gubernatorial candidate. He became lord unto himself.
“He disregarded the structures of the party by single-handedly handpicking candidates for the House of Representatives and the State House of Assembly, thereby creating a crisis within the party.
“This led to several lawsuits in the various local government areas, up to the Supreme Court, a scenario that had never been witnessed by the party before.
“Examples of local governments that were in legal logjam two weeks before the general election were Oshodi-Isolo LG, Ikeja LG, Mushin LG, Ajeromi LG, Apapa LG, and Ikorodu LG.
“Another blunder committed by him was that he failed to properly reconcile with the aspirants that contested along with him for the governorship position but were forcefully stepped down by the Ogidi-led electoral committee that was sent to Lagos.”
Furthermore, the PDP chairmen criticise Jandor’s failure to reconcile with other candidates who contested the primaries before him. They claim he saw himself as an “imposed character” and acted with arrogance towards established party leaders like Chief Olabode George.
“Another blunder committed by him was that he failed to properly reconcile with the aspirants that contested along with him for the governorship position but were forcefully stepped down by the Ogidi-led electoral committee that was sent to Lagos.
“These people paid N25 million each to obtain forms. At one instance, one of the aspirants that was forced to step down called him so that he might make some inputs into agent lists, but he outrightly told the fellow that he was not ready to share his agent list with anybody, and he would mainly make use of his Lagos for Lagos group.”
Jandor’s performance in his own local government area, Ojo, further strengthens the chairmen’s argument. The incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), reportedly won Ojo, highlighting potential shortcomings in Jandor’s campaign strategy.
This public criticism from within the PDP paints a picture of a fractured party heading into the 2024 national elections. Jandor has yet to respond to the accusations, but it is likely this will spark further debate within the Lagos PDP chapter.
It can be seen that since his joining the PDP, Jandor has created more problems within the party than he met there, which became glaring with the party coming a distant third in the governorship election in Lagos, where the PDP, hitherto before his joining them, has always been the runners-up and most formidable opposition to the ruling APC.