Can PDP replicate Kwara’s ‘Otoge’ revolution in Lagos?

On Friday 21 January, the country’s media space was awash with the news that the convener of the ‘Lagos4Lagos’ political movement, Dr. Olajide Adediran (Jandor) alongside his army of supporters was being formally received into the Peoples Democratic Party. The colorful, almost carnival-like event, which was held at the iconic Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos, boasted many PDP bigwigs and stalwarts in attendance.

Apart from having 6 serving state governors (Seyi Makinde, Udom Emmanuel, Okezie Ikpeazu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and Nyesom Wike) physically present at the ceremony, other political juggernauts such as former Senate President, Olubukola Saraki; PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu; former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Olabode George; and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi were all on ground to officially receive Jandor into their fold.

Fully aware of the herculean task that awaits the former APC members in Lagos, the PDP promised to support the faction to ensure that it topples the ruling party in the state.

Recall that sometime in 2021, Adediran and his followers had formed a faction (Lagos4Lagos) of their own from the main Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress platform in the state, vowing to put a stop to the former Lagos governor’s overwhelming influence in political matters in the state. Things were said to have gotten so bad between Jandor and other party stalwarts that he and his followers opted to conduct a parallel ward congress, appointing executive members in the faction.

Needless to say, Friday’s event at the TBS was the fruit of that internal squabble between Jandor and Asiwaju’s Lagos APC because the Lagos4Lagos leader and his followers decided to decamp to the opposition party barely two months after the ward congress.

While many may wave away Friday’s ceremony as nothing to be concerned about given the sheer magnitude of control Asiwaju wields in Lagos, one only needs to take a look at the Otoge revolution that ousted the Saraki political dynasty in Kwara to realize that in politics nothing is truly impossible.

What started as a mere bush fire in Kwara State in 2018, soon became a wild inferno that consumed all the decades of hard work the Sarakis put into becoming the top political family in the state.

Had Olubukola Saraki paid attention to the early signs, perhaps the APC wouldn’t have crept in unnoticed to pull off what many have described as a stunning piece of political engineering. It is common knowledge that the Saraki family is yet to recover from that incident to date.

What is quite interesting about Jandor’s Lagos4Lagos movement is that it seeks the same thing that Kwarans sought in 2018; an end to godfatherism. It is also interesting to note that just as the Sarakis sat on the political system of the state for decades on end, so also has Tinubu wielded unrivaled control in Lagos since 1999.

Another aspect that adds to the Lagos4Lagos drama is the fact that just as Saraki was distracted with national issues as Senate President in 2018, so also will Jagaban be heavily involved in the 2023 presidential elections if he succeeds in clinching the APC’s presidential ticket. How will he focus on both the gubernatorial and presidential elections at the same time?

This is the more reason why Asiwaju and his camp shouldn’t take the Lagos4Lagos movement lightly because it might just turn out to be another ‘Otoge’ revolution that could see the PDP paying the All Progressives Congress back in its own coin.