Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, has claimed that he would have defeated Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the 2023 governorship election in Lagos State, if not for the “Peter Obi effect.”
Jandor, the then-candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made this assertion during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday.
“The 2023 election brought with it a Tsunami that no one anticipated, and it was evident to everyone,” he said, referring to the unexpected shift in the political landscape following Peter Obi’s performance in the presidential election.
According to Jandor, after Obi of the Labour Party (LP) won the presidential election in Lagos in February 2023, the dynamics changed dramatically for the governorship race that took place just weeks later.
In the governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner. Sanwo-Olu secured 762,134 votes, defeating LP’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who garnered 312,329 votes, while Jandor received 62,449 votes.
Earlier in the presidential election, Peter Obi triumphed in Lagos, securing 582,454 votes, surpassing Bola Tinubu of the APC, who earned 572,606 votes. PDP’s Atiku Abubakar finished third with 75,750 votes, while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) received 8,442 votes.
Jandor, however, emphasized that the election was shaped by unique dynamics. “Before the February 25th general election, we were on the streets of Lagos, and the ruling party was nowhere to be found. We had several debates, and Sanwo-Olu didn’t show up. He even said he didn’t want to share a stage with me,” Jandor recounted.
“The 2023 election evolved into a two-horse race until the presidential election. If you look at what happened in that election, Peter Obi came first in Lagos, Asiwaju Tinubu came second, and Atiku came third. Once that happened, there was this belief that we could take the state from the ruling party. We were victims of that wave.”
Jandor continued, “Every time I address my supporters, I remind them that we did everything we could, but that wave came and swept everything away—no one saw it coming.”
He further stated that, had it not been for the “Peter Obi effect,” he believes he would have won the governorship election. “I probably would have won the election,” he admitted, though he added that he also believes it was not God’s time for him to become Lagos State governor at that moment.
Jandor’s political journey began in the APC, but he later left the party in 2022 to form the Lagos4Lagos Movement, a faction within the ruling party. He then joined the PDP before the 2023 election, where he became the party’s governorship candidate in Lagos.
However, Jandor recently parted ways with the PDP, accusing some party leaders of undermining him. “We waited to see if the party’s national leadership, governed by its constitution, would address the anti-party activities that were taking place. Instead of taking action, the same person was appointed Vice Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee by the national leadership,” he said.
Looking ahead, Jandor stated he would consider joining any party that could help him achieve his goal of becoming Lagos governor in 2027.
