Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, has claimed that if not for the “Peter Obi effect,” he would have emerged victorious over Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the 2023 Lagos State governorship election.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday, the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate argued that the unexpected surge of support for the Labour Party (LP) in Lagos shifted the political landscape, making it difficult for the PDP to compete effectively.
“The 2023 election came with this tsunami that nobody ever expected, and it was there for everybody to see,” Jandor said.
He explained that after Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) won the February 2023 presidential election in Lagos, the dynamics of the governorship poll, held weeks later, drastically changed against the PDP.
Recall the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the governorship election with 762,134 votes. Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour finished second with 312,329 votes, while Jandor came third with 62,449 votes.
Jandor insisted that, before the presidential election, PDP was in a strong position and actively challenging the ruling APC.
“Before the general election, we were on the streets of Lagos, and the ruling party was nowhere to be found. We had several debates, and he (Sanwo-Olu) didn’t show up; he even said he didn’t want to share a stage with me,” Jandor recalled.
“The 2023 election had its own dynamics. It was a two-horse race until the presidential election. If you look at what happened, Peter Obi came first in Lagos, Asiwaju came second, and Atiku came third.
“The moment that happened, there was this belief that if we do this, we can get this state off XYZ. So, we were victims of that political wave.
“Each time I address my people, I tell them: look, we did everything, but that wave came and swallowed the whole thing; nobody saw that coming.”
Despite his disappointment, Jandor expressed confidence that, without the “Obi effect,” he might have won the governorship election. However, he acknowledged that “it wasn’t God’s time yet” for him to become governor.
His political career began in the APC, where he led the Lagos4Lagos Movement before defecting to the PDP in 2022. He emerged as the party’s governorship candidate but recently left the PDP, citing internal sabotage.
“We were waiting to see if the party at the national level, governed by its constitution, would take action against those engaged in anti-party activities. We waited patiently for two years, but instead of enforcing sanctions, the same person was appointed Vice Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee,” he said.
Looking ahead, Jandor revealed that he is open to joining another political party to pursue his 2027 governorship ambition.
