Dr. Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, a former Lagos State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has officially defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
His defection comes just two weeks after resigning from the PDP.
Jandor formally announced his move to the APC during a press conference at his campaign office in Ikeja on Monday.
Following his resignation from the PDP, he held consultations with President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and other political figures.
His spokesperson, Gbenga Ogunleye, confirmed in a statement last Thursday that the meeting with Tinubu took place on Monday.
The statement read, “I can confirm that Dr Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran Jandor met with President Bola Tinubu on Monday (last week).
“He has earlier met with Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former President Ibrahim Babangida, former Head of State, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the SDP in the 2023 general elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, among other prominent national leaders. It is part of his ongoing consultation after his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party.
“The National Secretary of the PDP and other leaders of the party also visited him recently to appeal for the reconsideration of his resignation from the PDP.
“Dr Adediran will meet with his political associates and critical stakeholders in Lagos over the weekend and address the media by Monday, 17th March 2025.”
Adediran was the PDP governorship candidate in the 2023 Lagos State election, securing the party’s ticket after defeating other aspirants in the primaries.
A former APC member and founder of the Lagos4Lagos Movement, Jandor positioned himself as a fresh alternative to the long-dominant APC government in Lagos.
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To strengthen his chances and appeal to a wider audience, he selected popular Nollywood actress and producer Funke Akindele as his running mate.
Akindele’s selection was a strategic move to leverage her massive influence in the entertainment industry and among Lagos’s youth and urban voters. However, their campaign faced major challenges, including internal party conflicts.
Despite their efforts to build strong opposition, the Jandor-Akindele ticket failed to unseat the APC government, finishing behind both the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
In March 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Sanwo-Olu the winner of the March 18 Lagos governorship election.
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