The PDP governorship candidate for Lagos State in the 2023 general election, Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, has claimed that he would have emerged victorious over the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, if not for what he referred to as the “Peter Obi effect.”
Jandor made this assertion during a recent interview, explaining how the unexpected influence of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, created a political wave that significantly impacted the election results.
“We did everything, but that wave came and swallowed the whole thing. Nobody saw that coming,” he remarked, reflecting on the impact of the unexpected shift in voter preferences.
When asked directly if he believed he would have won the governorship race had it not been for Obi’s influence in the presidential election, Jandor responded with confidence:
“Absolutely, I probably would have won the election at the governorship level. The 2023 election came with this tsunami that nobody ever expected, and it was there for everybody to see.
According to Jandor, the political landscape in Lagos took an unforeseen turn when Obi’s presidential candidacy attracted a massive following, particularly among young voters and first-time voters, many of whom were dissatisfied with the existing political structure.
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The surge in support for Obi and the Labour Party created what Jandor described as a “wave” that not only affected the presidential election but also had a ripple effect on the governorship and other down-ballot races.
Despite his strong belief that he had a real chance of unseating Sanwo-Olu, the official results of the governorship election, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), showed a clear victory for the incumbent governor. Sanwo-Olu, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured a total of 762,134 votes, maintaining his position as governor.
The Labour Party’s candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, finished in second place with 312,329 votes, while Jandor, running on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), managed to secure only 62,449 votes, placing him in third position.
Jandor’s remarks reflect the ongoing debate about the impact of the Obidient movement, which significantly reshaped the 2023 elections in several key states, particularly in Lagos.
His comments suggest that he believes the PDP might have fared better if Obi’s candidacy had not disrupted the traditional voting patterns in the state.
