Mr. Olajide Adediran, also known as Jandor, and members of the Lagos4Lagos Group were welcomed into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by Senator Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s National Chairman, and some governors in Lagos. What are your thoughts on the events of that day?
We see what happened as part of the end-of-year and New Year’s festive activities bordering on entertainment. It demonstrates the Peoples Democratic Party’s lack of seriousness (PDP). The governors of the PDP traveled all the way to Lagos to hear a political non-starter. The same PDP governors who couldn’t stop their colleagues from defecting to the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), convened in Lagos for what I would call a circus. They had PDP leaders boasting that they would win Lagos despite the fact that they couldn’t even deliver their polling booths. They had people like Bukola Saraki, the former Senate President, who literally lost his deposit during the recent elections in Kwara State.
What happened last Friday was a non-event for us. They claimed to have a crowd, but we are aware that the crowd was rented. We’re aware that they gathered a large crowd from neighboring states. We believe that PDP states should be vigilant in ensuring that they are not shortchanged. I’d like to congratulate the gentleman, the young man, Jide Adediran, who is currently ecstatic because he received a very good payday. I’m sure he made a lot of money off the contributions of those PDP governors. We are not losing any sleep. It is not in their DNA to win anything, and this will have no impact on the state’s political situation in the upcoming elections.
The Lagos4Lagos made a strong statement during the rally, stating that they are taking over Lagos for the indigenes. What are your thoughts on this?
They should just wake up from this daylight nightmare, in my opinion. They’ve been saying the same thing about Lagos State being controlled by one man since 1999, and he’s remained invincible in their minds. It doesn’t get any better than this when it comes to democracy. If our party has been putting forward candidates that Lagosians find acceptable since 1999, candidates who have built on the achievements of previous governments since the advent of democracy in 1999, I believe Lagos can consider itself fortunate. All of the talk about elections being rigged is based on lame excuses from politicians who don’t know what they’re talking about. This state has nothing to offer the PDP. Let me just assure you that, despite all the challenges of the recent past, the APC still has a firm grip on Lagos State in the upcoming elections.
The issue of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has become an obsession for the likes of Bode George and his co-travelers, who wake up and come alive whenever the issue is brought up. Bode George has been threatening fire and brimstone, claiming that if Asiwaju runs for president, he will run as well. He has also stated that if Asiwaju is elected president, he will flee the country. We’ll be waiting for him and reminding him of his previous statements. He has a lot of options, and he could consider relocating to countries like Afghanistan and possibly Burkina Faso, which recently reverted to military rule. Did he make the most of the two opportunities he had as Governor of Ondo State and Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)? So, when we talk about politics in the state and country, people like that should just be onlookers.
We’ve also noticed that they’ve been able to hire some journalists who are, at the very least, unethical and unprofessional in their approach to the business of journalism. It is no longer acceptable for some media outlets to be used as a mouthpiece for the opposition in the state. People should take a hard look at what goes on in the media with people like former governorship running mate bringing to the program where he will literally be speaking for the opposition party, PDP, as the anchor. Whoever seeks equity must do so with clean hands. We all witnessed the Dasukigate, in which he was a party to the twist of collecting N50 million to look after the media during the festive season. Has he been able to put that to rest? He ran for the PDP deputy governorship candidate against the late Senator, who spent the majority of his life as a fugitive who was never apprehended. When the senator died, we all saw the glowing tributes he wrote to his memory. Some people, I believe, should simply learn to respect themselves.
Do you think Jandor Jide Adediran’s defection to the PDP, with his Lagos4Lagos structures, is a serious threat to the APC?
Some politicians are amusing. You assume a great deal of strength from your safe haven, your home and constituency, and you see a largely paid crowd, which you take to be popular support. Whatever he referred to as a crowd has yet to be proven. He has never been elected to any office. Jandol appeared out of nowhere. He was a struggling journalist with LTV just a few years ago. Questions should be asked about how he came into the money he’s squandering while claiming he wants to run for governor. People should learn that some things have rules and procedures. He is unwilling to learn the rope, and it is clear that he has made numerous false starts, even in his transition to PDP, putting the cart before the horse.
He first declared his intention before traveling around the state to meet with PDP leaders. A well-informed politician would have approached the situation differently, meeting with the leaders first before announcing his intentions. But no one should be surprised because he declared the PDP dead and went there to resurrect it. I’d like to congratulate the PDP’s leaders on the election of Jandol as their new leader, who will breathe new life into the party. It’s also worth noting that key PDP leaders in the state, such as Ade Dosunmu, Jimi Agbaje, Babatunde Gbadamosi, and others, were not present at the event, which speaks volumes about the type of person we’re dealing with. It all boils down to the PDP’s governorship ticket. Mark my words: I believe prophets are still giving prophecies for the coming year; he (Adediran) will not vote for that ticket and will instead vote for a different party. You won’t hear anything about the Lagos4Lagos Movement for the next few months.
However, some of his supporters remain in the APC, and these individuals are likely to vote against the ruling party in the upcoming elections. Is the Lagos APC unconcerned about it?
Does he (Adediran) have the political clout and status of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and a slew of other progressives in the past? That doesn’t matter. People will always clamor, regardless of whether or not the clamor is justified. APC has a solid foundation. We’ve taken up residence in every nook and cranny of this state. It’s not going to make a difference. That’s what I’m saying. We’ll continue to discuss this after the election, when we must have won by a landslide.
Some argue that his departure from the APC was justified due to claims of a lack of internal democracy and a level playing field within the party. How do you feel about it?
The young man is mostly perplexed. He isn’t the best person to judge what’s going on in our party. He couldn’t have been a member of the party for more than a year when he was largely rabblerousing without even taking the time to study the party’s constitution and structure. There has always been a level playing field for anyone who wants to be a part of our party since its inception. Even as we speak, a large number of people in various constituencies are already interested in joining the party. There would be no point in aspiring if they had no chance of getting the ticket on an equal footing. I believe it is a song written by people who have benefited from the party’s system at some point. I also want you to know that he was referring to the kind of consensus that the party’s constitution allows. Either we have an open primary or we agree to a consensus as part of the candidate selection process. Jandol is far too inexperienced to speak authoritatively about APC’s inner workings.
What accounts for the people’s loyalty and trust in the ruling party in Lagos State since 1999?
Nothing could be further from the truth; consistency is the result of years of hard work, a commitment to the people’s interests, and the ability to implement programs and policies that will ensure continuity. When we succeed as a party, it means that projects started by previous administrations will be completed, and people have a natural trust in anyone from the APC family at all levels of government to deliver. That is the foundation, and it is, of course, a well-founded party. We can be found in almost every home in the city, as well as in the market places. Our trust in you is not misplaced.
People have been wondering where Jide Adediran gets his money to fund his campaign, and there have been allegations that he is receiving financial support from some APC top brass. What would your reaction be if you were in this situation?
We also have a suspicion that he is being sponsored by people within APC. Because APC is such a wonderful family, the issue that led to its formation remains an albatross. A group of strange bedfellows came together to form the party, which is supposed to be progressive, but some of them haven’t been able to shed their old toga of thinking that is retrogressive. So, it’s not impossible that some party leaders, out of sheer indiscipline or perhaps out of envy for the APC’s leadership in the state, are really sponsoring people like Jandol to “rock the boat” as it were. But, regardless, we have our suspicions, and we know from what we’ve seen on the ground that he doesn’t have the resources on his own; that he has sponsors, but that won’t help him. When it comes to politics, it doesn’t matter if you have phony sponsors who won’t want to associate with you. It is meaningless, as we will soon discover. However, I believe he has gotten ahead of his initial sponsors by sleeping with the strangest fellow.
Apart from Jandor and his followers who have abandoned APC in favor of PDP, there are other disgruntled APC members. What are the leaders of the parties doing to make amends with them?
It is natural for people to feel aggrieved; even in a family and organization, groups and caucuses will form. It is not impossible for people to feel aggrieved because there are no members of a political party who are not ambitious. If you aren’t, you’re in the wrong line of work. As a result of these ambitions, there will undoubtedly be conflicts and disagreements, but as a party, we have the internal mechanisms in place to address these conflicts as they arise. It also behooves members to understand that when they agree to join a political party, they are relinquishing some of their rights and submitting to the party’s constitution, rules, and guidelines.
We don’t have the option of running for office as an independent candidate right now, which means that as a member of the party, you must submit to those rules and regulations and respectfully agree to the mechanisms in place to resolve conflicts rather than resorting to litigation, which is bad for the party. Despite some of our members’ bad behavior, our doors remain largely open, and we have welcomed them back several times whenever they see the light or purge themselves of their ground standing and sheer arrogance.
Have the internal mechanisms you mention brought peace to the Lagos APC?
Yes, because the State Chairman-elect, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, has been busy in the various local governments, especially since the last congresses, calling various parties in various constituencies and local governments to look at their areas of conflict and, by and large, he has made them understand that life and politics are give and take, and the important thing is for everyone to have a sense of belonging. That, I believe, is the main point of contention. As a result, we will have fewer crises as long as we are able to be fair to everyone. Allow me to reassure you that crises and conflicts have always been a part of our daily lives.
The APC will hold its primaries in the coming months, ahead of the elections next year. How do you plan to manage people’s ambitions in order to keep the APC from imploding?
PDP and opposition parties are praying for the APC to implode. Let me assure you that we have acrimonious primaries in Lagos State for a reason. This is a winning party; the PDP has no reason to hold acrimonious primaries because they will lose. They’ll have a hard time selecting candidates for various offices because they know they’ll lose. As a result, they have nothing to gain. In this state, the APC ticket is like picking a ticket and knowing you’ll win. And, despite the acrimonious primaries that have always arisen, we have always put our house in order before the elections. We always find a common ground to reach an agreement, and the upcoming election will be no exception. That is undoubtedly bad news for the opposition.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC National Leader, visited President Muhammadu Buhari a few weeks ago to express his interest in running for the presidency in 2023. Tinubu has stated that he is still consulting on the issue…
It’s no longer his decision; it’s now ours. It’s also possible that Asiwaju will run for office. He’s not going to say no to the vast majority of people who want him to run for president. It is not in his record for him to refuse requests from the public.
Asiwaju Tinubu is based in Lagos, and it is expected that he will receive full support when he leaves the city. Are you expecting the same level of support from the rest of the party’s chapters?
We are enthralled by Asiwaju’s ambition. Allow me to provide some context. We all get into politics for one reason or another, so we should be ecstatic that we finally have someone willing to run. He is not being forced on us, and he is not being forced to run for President by circumstances. So, contrary to what some people may want to point out, the fact that he stated that it is his lifelong ambition is something I believe we should be proud of. Over 1,800 different groups across the country are currently clamoring for Asiwaju’s candidacy; clamoring for him to throw his hat into the presidential election ring.
Asiwaju is well-grounded, and he has built a network of goodwill and bridges across the country and between ethnic groups. Over time, Asiwaju has established himself as a man of the people, and he has known for a long time that the day would come when he would require the various people he has been able to assist. People refer to him as kingmaker, godfather, and Lion of Bourdillon, all of which are media inventions, but he never refers to himself by any of those titles. We simply refer to him as Asiwaju of Lagos, Jagaban Bogu, a former governor of Lagos and one-time Senator. So, if we look at issues that concern us as a nation, issues that concern the economy, where he is well-versed, issues that concern security, education, and good healthcare, I believe it is the right time for us to have a personality like Asiwaju for the presidency. We are very optimistic, and it will be enjoyable because the opposition will have a say, but the people will have their say.
