By Gideon Maxwell
May 21, 2026
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, has emerged as the dominant figure in the race for the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 Lagos governorship election.
His growing momentum follows a wave of endorsements, strategic consultations and backing from the party’s highest decision making structures in the state.
Hamzat’s emergence followed weeks of intense political consultations within the Lagos APC, with the party’s influential Governance Advisory Council, GAC, reportedly adopting him as the consensus governorship candidate in a move aimed at avoiding a divisive primary contest.
The endorsement significantly strengthened Hamzat’s standing within the ruling party and effectively positioned him as the preferred successor to Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu.
The GAC, widely regarded as the most powerful political bloc within Lagos APC and established in 1999 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, reportedly settled for Hamzat after consultations centred on continuity, party stability and his long standing involvement in Lagos governance.
Hamzat’s growing momentum was further reinforced by public endorsements from Sanwo Olu, local government chairmen, labour leaders and several APC stakeholders across the state.
Reports also indicated that former PDP governorship candidate, Abdul Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, withdrew from the race and backed Hamzat’s candidacy.
The deputy governor intensified his consultations ahead of the primaries by meeting key APC powerbrokers, including members of the Governance Advisory Council and presidential Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Political observers say Hamzat’s emergence reflects the continued influence of the Lagos APC establishment in determining succession politics within the state, a pattern that has shaped governorship transitions since 1999.
ALSO READ: How Gowon made close to N5bn from autobiography launch as Danjuma, govs, Dangote lead donations
Hamzat, an engineer and seasoned technocrat, previously contested the Lagos APC governorship primary in 2014 but lost to former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode after polling 1,201 votes against Ambode’s 3,735 votes.
Since becoming deputy governor in 2019, Hamzat has played a central role in the Sanwo Olu administration, particularly in technology, education, infrastructure and public sector reforms.
Supporters within the APC describe him as experienced, loyal and deeply familiar with the governance structure of Lagos State.
Despite the endorsements, the process was not without opposition.
One of the governorship aspirants, Samuel Ajose, openly criticised attempts to impose a consensus arrangement, insisting that all aspirants should be allowed to test their popularity through direct primaries.
Ajose accused party leaders of attempting to sideline other aspirants and argued that consensus could only be valid if all contenders voluntarily agreed to it.
Nevertheless, Hamzat’s camp continued consolidating support across party structures and grassroots mobilisation networks, with reports suggesting that APC leaders had already begun consultations on a possible running mate ahead of the 2027 election.
The development has further heightened political activities in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital and one of the country’s most politically strategic states.
