The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), once the main opposition force in Lagos State, is witnessing a dramatic collapse, following a wave of high-profile defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Once described as the largest political party in Africa, the PDP had a long history of challenging the dominance of Lagos-based political forces—from the Alliance for Democracy to the Action Congress of Nigeria and now the APC. Today, however, the party has become a mere shadow of its former self in Lagos, the home state of President Bola Tinubu.
The latest blow came on Monday with the defection of the PDP’s Lagos State Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Hakeem Amode, alongside several other key leaders, to the APC. This follows in the footsteps of Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, the PDP’s 2023 gubernatorial candidate, who earlier returned to the APC, his original political base.
Political analysts view these defections not just as routine political realignments but as the final nail in the coffin of the PDP in Lagos. What was once a viable opposition platform has now become leaderless, disorganized, and largely irrelevant.
The party’s dismal performance in the 2023 general elections further highlighted its decline. PDP failed to secure a single seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly, while the APC won 38 and the emerging Labour Party (LP) captured two. In the House of Representatives, APC took 19 seats, LP claimed five, and the PDP again went home empty-handed.
A particularly damning moment came during the 2023 Lagos governorship election. APC’s Babajide Sanwo-Olu polled 762,134 votes, LP’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour received 312,329, while Jandor of the PDP trailed with just 62,449 votes—coming in a distant third for the first time in over two decades. In contrast, in 2019, the PDP placed second with Jimi Agbaje securing over 200,000 votes.
Jandor cited internal sabotage and a lack of support from PDP leadership as reasons for his return to the APC. His departure, many believe, signaled a collapse of confidence within the party and marked a turning point for other loyalists who have since jumped ship.
As the PDP battles internal crises, the Labour Party has rapidly gained traction, buoyed by the popularity of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the energy of the ‘Obidient Movement’—a youth-driven political wave. The LP now occupies the space the PDP once held as Lagos’s primary opposition.
Despite the exodus of members, the Lagos PDP has denied claims that its structure has collapsed. In a statement signed by the State Secretary, Soji Orioye, the party insisted it remains “solid and intact.”
“The claim by Amode that they have collapsed the PDP structure in the state is laughable and can best be described as a comic remark,” the statement read.
However, some within the party point fingers at the APC for what they describe as the systematic erosion of opposition politics in Lagos and beyond.
“The APC, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, has done everything possible to frustrate the opposition out of relevance,” said Segun Yinka, a PDP member from Gbagada. “They’ve captured political structures, democratic institutions, and even public confidence. We are heading toward a one-party state.”
Yinka also accused the APC of suppressing dissent and leveraging power to entrench its dominance. “Tinubu knows his popularity in Lagos is fading. If a truly free and fair election is held, he’ll lose again,” he added.
With the 2027 election cycle on the horizon, the PDP’s future in Lagos looks uncertain. Once a formidable opposition, it now faces an uphill battle to remain politically relevant in Nigeria’s most populous and economically significant state.
