PDP crumbles in Lagos as more leaders join APC
In a stunning political shift, leading figures within the Lagos State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have officially dumped the party, pledging their allegiance to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Leading the wave of defection is the deputy governorship candidate of the party in the 2011 and 2015 general election, Safurat Abdulkareem, former Deputy State Chairman, Ola Apena, and the State Publicity Secretary, Hakeem Ambode.
They made their defection known at a press conference held at the secretariat of the Lagos4Lagos Movement in Ikeja on Monday. Several other PDP members including some House of Assembly candidates in the state in 2023 elections were among those that defected to the APC. In a speech delivered by Hon. Amode, the defectors cited internal crises, poor leadership, and a failure to support party candidates as key reasons for their decision. They stated that it was clear they could not realize their political ambition in the PDP as presently constituted. He lamented the perceived lack of direction and coherence in the PDP both at the state and national levels, citing these as the primary reasons behind the mass defection. Amode further stated that the decision to leave the PDP followed thorough introspection and extensive consultation.
He reflected on their time in the PDP as one marked by both achievements and frustrations, stating that the current state of the party made meaningful progress impossible. He said, “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 also gave a scathing critique of the PDP’s Lagos chapter, saying, under the current state chairman, the party has suffered from poor cohesion and strategic ineptitude, which proved costly in the 2023 elections.
Recalling the 2023 campaign, Amode recounted how he and many others stood with Jandor despite being subjected to violent attacks in areas such as Surulere, Kosofe, Agege, and Badagry. He decried the party’s leadership for its failure to support its own candidates, accusing some PDP leaders of actively undermining the party from within. “Victory is impossible under such circumstances, and today we are taking control of our political destinies to better serve the people of Lagos State, ” Amode added.
Presenting the flag of the APC to the defectors, Dr. Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (Jandor), noted that while the formal reception by the Lagos APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, would occur at a later date, the handover of the party flag symbolised the commencement of their new political journey.
