By Bilesanmi Abayomi
A review of the 2023 general elections and subsequent political realignments in Lagos State suggests that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is steadily losing relevance, particularly in Kosofe Federal Constituency, where it once commanded significant support.
In the 2023 presidential election, PDP finished a distant third, trailing the All Progressives Congress (APC), which placed second, and the Labour Party (LP), which topped the polls. The pattern was even more pronounced at the state level. In Kosofe Constituency I, APC won convincingly, Labour came second, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) placed third, while PDP fell to fourth.
Although analysts initially argued that Labour’s rise merely split PDP’s votes, subsequent developments have exposed deeper fractures within the party. A string of high-profile defections has hollowed out its structure, leaving it unable to mount a serious opposition.
Notable exits include former Lagos PDP Deputy Chairman Hon. Ola Apena, former Southwest Zonal Secretary Hon. Rahman Owokoniran, and long-time stalwart Oni Coker, who defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) with hundreds of supporters.
Kosofe’s PDP base also suffered significant blows. Hon. Moyosore Ogunlewe, Chairman of Kosofe Local Government, crossed to APC after failing in his second bid for a Lagos Assembly seat in 2019. Ahead of the 2023 elections, former Deputy State Chairman Alhaji Welly Hassan and his wife, two-time Kosofe House of Representatives candidate Sherifat Hassan, also decamped to APC with their loyalists.
The erosion stretches back to 2015, when President Goodluck Jonathan’s electoral defeat triggered defections across Lagos. Among them was Hon. Kafilat Ogbara—now a federal lawmaker representing Kosofe—who quit PDP despite being one of its key stakeholders during Jonathan’s campaign.
Over the past decade, the PDP has shed more influential figures than it has recruited, failing to achieve any significant electoral comeback to inspire confidence among its remaining supporters.
With APC entrenched, Labour gaining momentum, and ADC consolidating defectors, analysts argue that PDP risks becoming politically irrelevant in Kosofe. As the 2027 elections approach, the constituency’s contest increasingly appears to be shaping up as a battle between APC and a Labour–ADC alliance, leaving PDP at the margins of the political game.