The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State presents a case study in political disintegration. Despite being the main opposition party at the national level for many years, it has been systematically unable to translate this status into victories in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial and political nerve center. The party’s failure is not a product of mere bad luck but a chronic condition arising from internal contradictions, electoral malfeasance, and, most critically, the willingness of its members to act as tools for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
A Legacy of Defeat Rooted in Internal Crisis
Since 1999, Lagos State has been a fortress for the political machinery now known as the APC. The PDP’s inability to win the governorship is a record of its own making, rooted in constant internal crises and a penchant for accommodating political opportunists who often become “moles on the eve of crucial elections”. Each election cycle has exposed the same structural sores: leadership tussles, imposition of candidates, and the alienation of party faithful.
The pattern is stark. Flag bearers like Dapo Sarunmi, Funsho Williams, and Dr. Ade Dosunmu faced not just the might of the APC but sabotage from within their own ranks. The perception of candidates as “stooges” of party leaders like Chief Olabode George alienated other factions, who then worked at cross-purposes, taking their “pound of flesh” by undermining the party’s own candidate during the main election, as reported by The Guardian then. This internal fragmentation ensured that the PDP always entered the electoral contest weaker than its sum of parts.
Evidence of Betrayal and Anti-Party Activities
The problem is more acute than simple disunity; it involves active collaboration with the opposition. The party has been plagued by persistent allegations of anti-party activities, where its own chieftains allegedly work to sabotage its chances. This pattern is so entrenched that it has led to mass suspensions and defections.
In May 2026, a faction of the Lagos PDP suspended former Deputy National Chairman Chief Olabode George and 23 other prominent members over allegations of anti-party activities and deliberate infractions of the PDP Constitution. (reference-newswatch). The disciplinary committee accused these members of “frolicking with rival political parties to sabotage the interests of the PDP” (reference thecable). This public purge confirms that deep-seated disloyalty is a recognized and pervasive issue within the party structure.
This is not a new phenomenon. The PDP’s electoral fortunes have been consistently undermined by the defection of its leaders to the APC. Before the 2019 elections, the then-state chairman, Moshood Salvador, and his loyalists defected to the ruling party. The trend continued after the 2023 elections, with the party’s governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (Jandor), and its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Hakeem Amode, notably dumping the PDP to return to the APC (reference businessday). These high-profile defections are seen as the final stamp on the party’s collapse, serving as powerful disincentives for voters and a clear sign that the party cannot hold its own house together.
The 2023 Elections: A Case Study of Self-Sabotage
The 2023 general elections marked the nadir of the PDP’s decline in Lagos. The party entered the polls deeply divided and reaped a historically humiliating harvest. For the first time in two decades, the PDP did not even come second in the governorship race. Its candidate, Jandor, polled a paltry 62,449 votes, coming a distant third behind the Labour Party’s 312,329 votes and the APC’s 762,134 votes .
The result was a direct consequence of the party’s fragmentation and the alleged betrayal by its own members. Reports indicate that many influential individuals within the PDP actively worked for the ruling party’s victory. The party won no seats in the Lagos State House of Assembly and no seats in the House of Representatives, while the APC and LP took all.
Allegations of Being an APC Tool: The ADC/APM Saga
A critical example of how PDP members have been accused of serving as tools for the APC centers on the coalition involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC). In the build-up to the 2027 elections, the PDP was a major part of a coalition of parties in the ADC, with its members participating in the ADC primaries as stipulated by INEC’s timeline.
However, after the deadline for party switching, some of its members intentionally joined another party, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). This last-minute change, critics argue, was a calculated move to cause division in votes and hand victory to the APC. The specific allegation involves Asikoto, who claimed to be a member of the ADC but later moved to the APM after the deadline. This action is widely perceived as a deliberate attempt to split the ADC’s votes, thereby benefiting the APC. This maneuver perfectly illustrates how individuals linked to the PDP are seen not as genuine opposition but as agents of disruption, strategically deployed to weaken the anti-APC coalition and ensure the ruling party’s dominance. The APC itself has gloated over the PDP’s fractured state, describing the party as a “scattered, leaderless” entity whose members are engaged in endless court battles and “shameless forum shopping”.
Conclusion
The PDP’s electoral failures in Lagos are a self-inflicted wound. Its decades-long doldrums stem from a toxic combination of internal factionalism, a pattern of anti-party activities, and the opportunistic defection of its leaders. The allegations that some of its members act as a “tool” for the APC, exemplified by the ADC/APM coalition saga, are a damning indictment of the party’s integrity. It has consistently failed to present a credible, united front to the electorate, convincing Lagosians that voting for the PDP is a vote for a house divided against itself. Until it confronts these deep-seated issues of betrayal and internal strife, the PDP’s status as a political force in Lagos will continue to erode.
