The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abdul-Azeez Adediran better known as Jandor says a chieftain of the party, Bode George is one of the people sabotaging the party’s electoral chances in Lagos.
The PDP is the main opposition party in Lagos and has not been able to defeat the ruling party since 1999.
Speaking on Arise TV on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, Jandor said when he dumped the APC for the PDP, he identified George as one of the problems of the party and he went straight to him to inform him about his defection.
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Abdul-Azeez Adediran also known as Jandor. (Tribune)
He alleged that the PDP chieftain worked hand in hand with the principalities in ruling APC, adding that George does not have any political structure to help any candidate to win an election in Lagos.
“When we moved to the PDP, I went straight to Chief Bode George’s house, there are different tendencies within the PDP, we have Deji Doherty, we have Dr Ogunkelu, we went into Bode George’s house despite the fact that the house has no structure that can even make you become governor, but I went there through Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,” he said.
“I know he has always been the problem and if you’re able to address the man that has always been the problem, the problem is half solved, because they work hand in hand with the principalities in APC”.
Jandor said he joined the PDP, the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki introduced him to Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour as a member of the party, who according to him was vying for the position of the party’s secretary at the time.
He added that during the build-up to the party's primary in 2022, Gbadebo decided to join the Lagos governorship race.
Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. [Twitter:@GRVlagos]
He said, “It was two weeks after I got in that Gbadebo decided to run for governor in the same house.
Some of us looked at it and approached Chief (Bode George) that this boy that you told us is your friend’s son and you’re his godfather so to speak, why will two of us come out from the same house, we are going to be sharing the little votes in this how, he said no, don’t worry forget it, he dismissed it.
According to him, after winning the PDP primary election without the support of the PDP chieftain, George asked him to pick Gbadebo as his running mate, but he rejected the idea.
He said after he rejected his advice, he (George) asked Gbadebo to defect to the Labour Party to pick the party's governorship ticket.
Bode George is a chieftain of the PDP in Lagos. (Independent Newspapers)
“Immediately I won the PDP primary ticket, the same Chief Bode George came to sell Gbadebo to me to pick him as my running mate and I was like, I can't fight a godfather where I was coming from and I am here babysitting another godfather, it shows we are not standing for anything. So, I refused”, he said.
"That's why you'll see him eulogising the other guy (Gbadebo) at the expense of the candidate of his own party. It is what it is because they asked him to move to Labour thereafter. Again, I’ve been on this campaign and you've been reporting attacks on Jandor, a PDP candidate, and Chief Bode George and other leaders of the party have never for once condemned the attack. The same Bode George came out a few days ago saying some people want to kill Gbadebo."
Jandor maintained that the he is the right candidate for the PDP to present to defeat the APC in Lagos.
