Lagos PDP in Disarray as Top Leaders Defect to APC, Analysts Declare Collapse of Opposition

The once-formidable Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suffered yet another major blow, with top party leaders—led by the former State Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Hakeem Amode—defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The mass exit follows closely behind the defection of the party’s 2023 governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, back to the APC.

Political analysts have described the latest defections as the final nail in the coffin of the PDP in Lagos, long regarded as Nigeria’s largest opposition party. Once a consistent challenger to the ruling party in Lagos—first the Alliance for Democracy (AD), then the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and now the APC—the PDP has gradually become a shadow of itself in President Bola Tinubu’s home state.

In the 2023 general elections, the PDP failed to secure a single seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly. APC won 38 seats, while the rising Labour Party (LP) clinched 2. The pattern was repeated in the House of Representatives, where APC claimed 19 seats, LP took 5, and the PDP walked away empty-handed.

The March 2023 governorship election exposed the depth of PDP’s decline. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu (APC) won with 762,134 votes, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (Labour Party) scored 312,329, while Jandor of the PDP lagged far behind with just 62,449 votes. For the first time in decades, the PDP failed to finish as runner-up in the Lagos guber race.

Jandor later blamed internal sabotage and a lack of serious commitment from PDP leadership for his poor showing, citing these reasons for his return to the APC. His exit was widely seen as a tipping point, leaving the PDP fractured, leaderless, and directionless.

Amode’s defection, along with other party stalwarts, further cements what many see as the party’s collapse in the state. Analysts note that what was once a strong opposition platform has now been eclipsed by internal strife and an energized Labour Party movement fuelled by Peter Obi’s popularity and the Obidient youth wave.

Despite the visible cracks, the Lagos PDP has rejected claims of total collapse. In a statement released Monday and 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, frustration is growing among members. Segun Yinka, a party loyalist from Gbagada, accused the APC of systematically eroding opposition space.

“The APC, under President Bola Tinubu, has done everything possible to frustrate the opposition. They’re turning Nigeria into a one-party state,” Yinka claimed. “If free and fair elections were held today, Tinubu would lose Lagos again.”

As the 2027 elections inch closer, the PDP’s survival in Lagos remains in serious doubt. With no clear leadership, policy direction, or electoral momentum, the party now watches from the sidelines as the APC consolidates power and the Labour Party fills the vacuum it left behind.