The Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the influential leadership body of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, has endorsed Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat as its consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
The endorsement was announced on Tuesday at Lagos House, where party leaders met and unanimously adopted Mr Hamzat, according to a post by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Senior Special Assistant on New Media, Jubril Gawat.
|
|
Mr Gawat said the endorsement was announced by GAC leader Tajudeen Olusi, who also disclosed that council members had paid for Mr Hamzat’s nomination form, a symbolic move underscoring growing elite backing for the deputy governor.
The endorsement came a day after Governor Sanwo-Olu publicly backed Mr Hamzat as his preferred successor, in what has become a rapid consolidation of support around the deputy governor.
|
|
|
|---|
Mr Hamzat had formally declared his intention to contest during a closed-door meeting with members of the State Executive Council, party leaders and GAC members.
“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,” Governor Sanwo-Olu said.
“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.”
The governor described his deputy as a loyal partner in government and said his endorsement was based on years of working closely with him.
“This is a deputy governor that is worth a governor from day one; 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,” he added.
Mr Sanwo-Olu also linked the endorsement to the enduring political structure associated with President Bola Tinubu, saying the support for Mr Hamzat reflected a broader continuity project within the Lagos APC.
Resignation rumour
The political endorsements came amid the Lagos State Government’s rebuttal of reports claiming Governor Sanwo-Olu had been pressured to resign on health grounds to allow Mr Hamzat to assume office.
In a statement shared on Monday, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, dismissed the report as false and described it as misinformation.
“We have noted with concern a false report… alleging that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been ordered to resign on health grounds,” Mr Akosile said.
“This report is false in its entirety. Nobody has asked the Lagos Governor to resign… Governor Sanwo-Olu remains in good health, of sound mind, and is actively discharging his duties as Governor of Lagos State.”
He urged the public to disregard the report, saying there was no succession crisis in the state.
READ ALSO: Lagos govt reacts to report of Sanwo-Olu’s forced resignation
The government’s rebuttal followed speculation triggered by an online report alleging a transition plan was being considered for Mr Hamzat to complete the administration’s tenure while positioning for 2027.
But officials said Monday’s meeting between the governor and his deputy was routine and centred on Mr Hamzat’s governorship bid, not any transfer of power.
The denial, followed by endorsements from both Governor Sanwo-Olu and the GAC, has reinforced a picture of political stability while also strengthening Mr Hamzat’s standing as the leading contender in the race to succeed his principal.
With support appearing to coalesce around him a few months before party primaries, Mr Hamzat’s candidacy is already shaping succession calculations within the Lagos chapter of the APC.
Discover more from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
