…”Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish,” APC Reacts
Fresh facts have emerged that the defection of Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC) factional group, codenamed Lagos4Lagos, to opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is a case of conspiracy devoid of requisite political strength/clout.
Top sources within the APC revealed to The LiberationNews that leader of Lagos4Lagos, Mr. Olajide Adediran, widely known as Jandor, was actually raised and empowered in Lagos by the Works and Housing Minister, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, since his days as governor in the centre of excellence, to achieve a distracting political goal.
The sources corroborated accusations that Fashola raised Jandor to challenge the authority of APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, with a view to bringing down the latter’s impervious political structure so as to dislodge him, albeit futilely.
A top source who craved anonymity owing to the sensitivity of the matter, said, “Jandor was raised by Fashola and empowered with many government largesse, solely to raise a rebel group within the Lagos APC. This was why in a recent interview with ThisDay newspaper, Fashola sees nothing bad in the disruptive inclination of the Lagos4Lagos group within APC that he describes as “dynamism” as against conflicts that others are seeing. He also, in that interview, claimed to have a ‘political structure’ that he didn’t name but which is now obvious to the discerning public in Lagos state and Nigeria.
“The group’s name, Lagos4Lagos, was deliberately meant to be divisive, as it is aimed as saying only Lagos ancestral indigenes should be controlling Lagos politics and affairs. And to attempt to annihilate the status quo that created Fashola, Jandor and others in their fold.
“Jandor’s mandate was to dissent on any popular decision taken within the APC and to deceitfully lure away Tinubu’s loyalists and put them in Fashola’s political ‘fattening room’, ahead of 2023 elections when the Minister hopes to become a new political godfather in Lagos.”
The source added that unfortunately for Fashola, Jandor, after acquiring so much wealth and political influence and having realised the futility of his efforts, suddenly abandoned APC and ran away to the PDP, to become the eyes of Fashola there.”
The source stressed that “all efforts by Fashola and his Man Friday, to decapitate APC under Tinubu has finally collapsed like a pack of cards”.
“While the group’s fragile membership of APC lasted, it was known for setting up parallel structures to counter the indefatigable leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the undisputed national leader of the progressive party across the country.
“During the last state organised congress, the group, despite leading an assemblage of frustrated dissenters, got the signal that its future does not lie in APC. And of all the parties, it is the highly disjointed PDP in Lagos State that welcomed it into its fold,” the source further disclosed.
It was also gathered that before the latest Jandor’s move, overtures had been made to the Fashola acolyte in the past, reportedly by top PDP chieftains such as Chief Raymond Dokpesy and Ms Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya.
They reportedly led a pilot team to meet with Jandor, the aftermath of which was Saturday’s announced defection.
On Saturday, former Senate President and PDP chieftain, Dr. Bukola Saraki, expressed PDP’s readiness to absorb Lagos4Lagos Movement.
Members of the Fashola-motivated Lagos4Lagos Movement in tow defected en masse to the opposition party, after a voice vote at a session attended by Saraki and his entourage, at the Liberty Place, Lagos4Lagos, Headquarters, Adeniji Jones, Ikeja.
Saraki, who arrived at about 12.30 pm, was in company with the former Kwara South Senator, Dr Rafiu Ibrahim; Senator Ahmed Ogembe from Kogi, Senator Duro Faseyi from Ekiti, Oluwole Oke from Osun, and Rita Orji from Lagos.
Also in his entourage were: Chief Osaro, the Kwara PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Tunde Ashaolu and head of ABS Media Team Office, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu.
Saraki, in his address, made no pretense about his hobnobbing with this riotous disloyal group within APC, and the mission for allowing Jandor and his group in to PDP, saying, “it’s time to move……I’m happy to say I have been associated with this group for the past one year. When I first met Jandor who told me his ambition, I told him power is not served a lar carte…..If we must win power in Lagos, we must open our door. If we organise ourselves and walk together there is no stopping us. I commended Lagos PDP leaders, from Bode George to others for their efforts in rebuilding PDP.
Saraki also laughably stated that “Come May 2023, I will be with you for the swearing in as the governor of Lagos State……This struggle is not for Lagos alone, but for Nigeria in general.
Jandor in his brief haughty address said to Saraki, “I’m so happy to have you. We look at you as our fore-bearer for what you did in the run up to your emerging as Senate President. No more baba so pe.
“If the level playing ground is not available in APC we are ready to move to PDP. That’s why we are moving out with our large members…..formally by December 18,2021….”
Jandor continued: “Currently we are in APC, we participated in Congresses, did parallel. Set up reconciliation committee, nothing happened. We realisedd that without taking the executive power from them, the APC, we can’t change Lagos. That’s why we have resolved to apply Saraki and Obaseki’s style to get the power from them…….we are ready to join your structure which is very key.”
Jandor also expressed his wish of clinching the PDP governorship ticket in 2023 when he said to Saraki to be “Rest assured that we are good for governorship. Our concern is that we want to believe the party PDP, is ready to win and give us the ticket.”
Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary of APC Lagos chapter, Seye Oladejo, in a statement, described the defection as “good riddance to bad rubbish.”
The statement read: “We want to congratulate him (Jandor) and his group for finally finding a home in a homeless party.
“He has finally confirmed our position that he was acting a script by playing the opposition within the ruling party.
I guess the transfer season towards 2023 elections has commenced in earnest.
“We meet at the polls and I can assure you that the party will not feel the departure of a group that has a reputation of rabble rousing having emerged from no where in recent times.
“Our party will definitely not be distracted as we continue to support our government to finish strongly.”
