Sanwo-Olu endorses Deputy Hamzat as successor for 2027 Lagos gov'rship race

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has endorsed his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, as his preferred successor and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

The endorsement came on Monday following a closed-door meeting at Lagos House, Marina, where Hamzat formally declared his intention before members of the State Executive Council and key party leaders. Also present were members of the Governor’s Advisory Council, including former Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro and Ganiyu Solomon.

Hamzat, one of several aspirants for the seat, acknowledged the endorsement in a message on X: “Today, I am honoured by the endorsement of my governor, my brother and my friend, HE Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. His trust means a great deal to me. We’ve worked side by side in the service of Lagos State, and I don’t take this vote of confidence lightly. I remain committed to building on the progress we’ve made together, and look forward to serving Lagosians with integrity, focus and a clear sense of purpose.”

Other aspirants include Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor) and Dr Samuel Ajose (SMA Gold). However, Hamzat is now positioned to emerge as the APC’s consensus candidate, having previously received endorsements from Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, former Governor Babatunde Fashola, and the Justice Forum.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, Sanwo-Olu described the endorsement as unanimous. “We just received Mr Deputy, who had come with a very powerful delegation of our leaders in the state to inform us of his intention to contest for the seat of the governorship position of the state. It was unanimous with all of us to say that Mr Deputy Governor is a man who is fit and well-prepared for this job. He is a man who knows where all the rooms in the house are.”

Sanwo-Olu highlighted Hamzat’s integrity, loyalty, commitment, and support over the past seven years. He also thanked President Bola Tinubu, saying, “We thank our father, our leader, Mr President, who saw the vision… that long run is what is already being manifested here today.”

Describing Hamzat as “a deputy governor that is worth a governor from day one,” Sanwo-Olu added, “This is a man that has been built for this job, and we believe that he deserves to be given a chance to go and run this state.”

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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