Spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Alhaji Hakeem Amode, has  defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) along with other party chieftains.

At a news conference in Ikeja, Amode said he and other defectors  were motivated and inspired by the visionary leadership of the 2023 PDP governorship candidate, Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor), who had earlier moved to APC.

“We have decided to collapse the entire PDP structure in Lagos State, from ward to the state level , to align with His Excellency Jandor to decamp en masse to the APC.

“The PDP, both at the national and state level, has lost its way. The party has deviated from the founding ideals that once made it the largest and most respected political platform in Africa.

“Today, its future is riddled with tension and uncertainty.The PDP is in a coma and may not survive unless urgent measures are taken,” Amode said.

According to him, the tenure of the defectors within the PDP had been lengthy and eventful, characterised by both achievements and setbacks.

He said majority of the defectors had the privilege of serving PDP in various capacities, worked for  change and did their best  for their former party

“However, after thorough introspection and extensive consultation, we believe it is time to chart a new course.

“This decision has not been made lightly. It  reflects our commitment to taking control of our political destinies in order to better serve our people and the loyal supporters who continue to stand by us.”

Amode said PDP in Lagos, under the leadership of Mr Philip Aivoji, has been fractured and disunited.

“Poor leadership and a lack of cohesion have cost us dearly

“Today, we, alongside several former PDP candidates at various levels, national, local government executives, ward leaders, and key stakeholders across Lagos, formally resign from the PDP and align ourselves with the APC.

“We have submitted our letters of resignation to our respective ward chairmen, local government chairmen, and the state leadership of the PDP.”

Amode ,who noted that the decision to leave PDP was not driven by personal ambition, said defecting to APC was to serve the society better.

“We are determined to work with our new partners in the APC to deliver the true dividends of democracy to every corner of our great state.

Alhaja Safurat Abdulkareem, a two-time state PDP deputy governorship candidate, said the defectors  were determined to follow the progressives to make the state better.

Former state PDP deputy chairman, Chief Ola Apena, said PDP had no relevance in the state anymore.

“PDP is dead. There is no more PDP. The party is in complete limbo and we don’t know whether it will  be  up,” he said.

Other PDP leaders, who dumped the party for APC included Prince Rufus Adeniyi, former PDP assistant state organising secretary (Lagos West) and Mr Jerry Afemikhe (Olori Odo), former PDP House of Representatives candidate in Surulere Constituency I.