For a while now, crisis has continued to rock the Lagos state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). It should be recalled that the party which has dominated the South-West state, recently became factionalized, with some of its members being loyal to Olajide Adediran, particularly known as Jandor, while others are loyal to the APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu....CONTINUE READING
Not long ago, the party also held parallel congress in the state, with Jandor’s faction known as Lagos4Lagos, producing factional leaders. However, the faction was not recognized by the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja. This, however, was not able to patch the crack in the party, as Jandor, and his loyalists from the 20 local government areas in the state, recently dumped the party.
According to the Daily Trust, the Lagos4Lagos faction of the APC, was on Saturday, welcomed into the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by the immediate past President of the Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki. Arguably, this development could weaken APC’s control of Lagos state, particularly as the country prepares for the 2023 general elections. The reason for this is not far-fetched.
It should be noted that politics is a game of numbers, and losing a faction of the party across 20 local governments, is a huge loss for the APC. Arguably, each of the defectors, have one or two people they could convince during elections, to vote against the APC. This would undoubtedly reduce the party’s votes, and possibly see its nearest rival in the state, the PDP, overtake it as the new dominant party in Lagos.
It should be noted that the defection of Jandor’s APC faction to the PDP, has not only reduced the strength of the party in the state, but also boosted the PDP going into the 2023 election. With this in mind, one may not be wrong to say that it could weaken the party’s control of Lagos state, as its support base has arguably been reduced from what it used to be, while the PDP has undoubtedly increased in strength and number.