Dr Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, has announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking at a press conference in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, the 2023 Lagos governorship candidate confirmed his departure from the party.
However, he did not disclose his next political step but assured that he would make it known in the coming months.
He stated that he was leaving the PDP alongside his supporters across the 20 local governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas of Lagos State.
“I will, in the next few months, declare my next political move,” Adediran said.
Adediran was the governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2023 Lagos State governorship election. He emerged as the party’s candidate after defeating other aspirants in the primaries.
Jandor, a former member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and convener of the Lagos4Lagos Movement, positioned himself as a fresh alternative to the long-dominant APC government in Lagos.
To bolster his chances and appeal to a broader electorate, he chose popular Nollywood actress and producer Funke Akindele as his running mate.
Akindele’s selection was strategic, aiming to leverage her massive influence in the entertainment industry and among Lagos’s youth and urban voters. However, their campaign faced significant challenges, including internal party conflicts, the dominance of the APC under Governor Sanwo-Olu, and the political influence of Bola Tinubu, a key APC figure in Lagos.
Despite their efforts to present a strong opposition, the Jandor-Akindele ticket was unsuccessful in unseating the APC government. They finished behind both the incumbent governor, Sanwo-Olu, and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party.
In March 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Sanwo-Olu as the winner of the March 18 Lagos governorship election.
Sanwo-Olu polled 762,134 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP), who scored 312,329 votes.
Adediran of the PDP came a distant third with 62,449 votes.
