2027: Jandor meets Tinubu in Aso Rock

Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Lagos during the 2023 election, held a private meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Monday, ThisDay Nigeria reports.

The closed-door meeting, which was not made public, lasted between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Jandor’s visit to Aso Rock comes shortly after he announced his resignation from the PDP, citing issues of “indiscipline and anti-party activities” within the party.

However, he has not yet revealed his next political move.

Jandor, who was originally a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before defecting to the PDP to contest for Lagos governor, has expressed disappointment with PDP leadership. He claimed that a last-minute claim of an alliance misled his supporters, causing them to vote for another candidate.

During the 2023 election, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC secured victory with 762,134 votes, while Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour polled 312,329 votes. Jandor finished third with 62,449 votes.

In his resignation letter, Jandor stated, “I am here before you today without a heavy heart and a clear conscience. We have dedicated ourselves to the ideals of democracy, both good governance and the pursuit of a better Lagos. However, it has become evident that the leadership of the PDP, both at the national and state levels, has failed to uphold its principles.”

He further hinted at joining another platform, saying, “We will consult widely with everybody and then take the decision to collapse our structure to another platform. The major thing now is that we have left the PDP.”

Although details of his discussion with Tinubu remain undisclosed, sources within Aso Rock suggest it was a reconciliation effort, possibly signaling a political realignment ahead of the 2027 elections.

Before his meeting with the president, Jandor had also visited former heads of state, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, in Minna, Niger State. He recently met with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and high-ranking officials of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).