A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adetokunbo Pearse, has blamed former Lagos governorship candidate, Abdulazeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, for his defeat in the 2023 elections, accusing him of ignoring party leaders and making unilateral decisions.
Speaking during an interview on News Central on Friday, Pearse alleged that Jandor rejected the advice of PDP leaders and instead picked Nollywood actress Funke Akindele as his running mate, a move he described as politically disastrous.
Jandor, who finished third in the Lagos governorship election with 62,449 votes, trailed behind Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who won with 762,134 votes, and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP), who secured 312,329 votes.
According to Pearse, Jandor’s decision to sideline party elders after securing the PDP ticket was a critical mistake.
“He did not win the primary election in the legal way. It was all a sham from the beginning. He came into the party, and six months later, he got the ticket,” Pearse said.
He revealed that Jandor’s emergence as PDP’s candidate was influenced by the backing of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, which convinced Lagos PDP leaders to accept him.
However, after winning the primary, Jandor allegedly ignored their advice on selecting a deputy.
Pearse stated that PDP leader Bode George had advised Jandor to consider Rhodes-Vivour as his running mate or allow the party to select a candidate that would balance the ticket, but he refused.
“He did not even give them a chance to choose anybody,” Pearse said. “Jandor went and brought this comic actress and said she has thousands of followers on Facebook. That was the end of Jandor.”
Pearse added that Jandor’s refusal to listen to party leaders alienated him from the PDP’s power structure, which ultimately led to his downfall.
On Monday, Jandor announced his resignation from the PDP, citing indiscipline and anti-party activities among members as reasons for his exit.
He accused the party of working against him during the election, alleging that Philip Aivoji, the Lagos PDP chairman, issued a last-minute statement declaring an alliance with another party.
However, Pearse dismissed Jandor’s claims of betrayal, insisting that he was responsible for his own political misfortune.
“When he talks of betrayal from leaders, he caused it all. It is his fault,” Pearse said.
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