The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sharply criticized Abdul-Azeez Adediran, widely known as Jandor, following his defection back to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Jandor, who was the PDP’s governorship candidate in Lagos during the 2023 elections, made the announcement of his return to the APC at a news conference in Lagos on Monday. He revealed that he resigned from the PDP on March 3, 2025, citing internal party issues, including a lack of discipline and perceived betrayal by its leadership.
Before his time with the PDP, Jandor was a member of the APC, having previously led the Lagos4Lagos Movement, which aimed at repositioning the political landscape in Lagos.
In a response to Jandor’s defection, Tai Benedict, the Deputy Chairman of the Lagos PDP, strongly denounced the former governorship candidate, accusing him of being an agent planted by the APC to destabilize the PDP from within.
Benedict stated, “He was never our own. He was an agent sent to our party to destroy it. The very first time I saw him, I told him to explain that you are an agent of the APC, sent to our party because they knew we had a bright chance to win that election.”
Benedict further claimed that despite Jandor’s initial denials, his actions ultimately vindicated the suspicion that he was working to disorganize the party. According to Benedict, Jandor’s leadership style, including his sole decision to choose Funke Akindele as his running mate for the 2023 elections, showed his focus on personal ambition rather than party unity. “He came and singularly picked his running mate. It has never happened. He said Funke had over three million followers on Instagram and that would make his victory easier. But we only had 62,000 votes,” he added.
Despite the criticism, Benedict expressed relief over Jandor’s exit from the party, saying, “We thank God. We’re okay with his exit. It’s not a good thing to lose members, but there are some members, like Jandor, whose departure you are actually happy about.”
Meanwhile, the APC in Lagos welcomed Jandor’s return, with the party’s publicity secretary, Seye Oladejo, emphasizing that the APC was ready to collaborate with him. Oladejo described Jandor as a “vibrant young man” who has simply returned to his political roots, acknowledging that the APC was a party where his ambitions could be realized.
Oladejo further commented on the growing number of defections, stating, “Like all politicians, Jandor came to the party with ambition. At the time, that could be realized quickly on the platform of the conservatives, which has been rejected at the polls several times by the people of Lagos.”
He also highlighted the APC’s belief in Lagos as a progressive state under its leadership, stressing that the party’s track record has earned the trust of the people. “We believe in our party that there is sufficient opportunity for him, like many others, to contribute his quota to the continual success of our government and growth of our party,” Oladejo said.
Dismissing the PDP’s accusation that the APC had planted Jandor to destabilize the opposition, Oladejo criticized the PDP’s internal issues. “It shows how inept the opposition is,” he remarked. “We’re talking about a party that’s perpetually in crisis, that can’t organize itself, and they want to govern. The electorate in Lagos is informed, and they’re just looking for excuses to justify their incompetence.”
Oladejo concluded by noting that more defections to the APC are expected as the next election approaches.
