Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday endorsed Obafemi Hamzat for the 2027 Lagos governorship race, telling party leaders in Alausa that the deputy governor was the best man for the job. The governor made the declaration at his office in Lagos, where he also said Hamzat had the capacity to govern the state because of his vast knowledge and experience.
Sanwo-Olu’s backing was not limited to a private nod. He repeated the endorsement at Lagos House, Marina, alongside members of the state executive council and APC leaders, with all 57 local government chairmen and local council development area chairmen present. He described Hamzat as someone who had been “well baked” for the task, adding that renewed strength and peace of mind would be granted to him.
The support matters because it places Lagos’s sitting governor squarely behind a succession figure as the 2027 governorship election moves closer and speculation grows inside the APC over who will carry the ticket. Hamzat has been intensifying consultations across key political blocs, and the latest show of force came after a Sunday visit to Femi Gbajabiamila at his residence, where the former House of Representatives speaker said Lagos was in safe hands and told Hamzat he could take his support for granted.
That wave of backing has spread through other powerful names in Lagos politics and government. Tokunbo Abiru and Wale Edun have also endorsed Hamzat’s aspiration, while Gbajabiamila, accompanied by Muti Are, Ganiyu Solomon, Bode Oyedele, Musiliu Obanikoro, Adekunle Olayinka and Hakeem Shittu, joined the consultations ahead of the 2027 race. Obanikoro said the deputy governor is well grounded in Lagos politics and needs the support of APC leaders to win.
Hamzat has been building that case publicly and privately. During a consultative visit in Badagry Division, he received broad endorsement from political and community leaders, unveiled the City Boy Movement and heard calls for greater inclusion of Badagry indigenes in the state civil service and more appointive positions. Oba Sejiro Olamilekan James pledged support and asked for government help to complete a community chalet and improve infrastructure, while Senator Ganiyu Solomon said a Hamzat-led administration would give due consideration to the requests.
Hamzat said the meetings were about the direction of the state and the work needed to move it forward. He said it remained a shared responsibility to strengthen Lagos and keep delivering better outcomes for residents, adding that he was focused and clear about the work ahead. The political signal from Monday is plain: within the APC’s Lagos establishment, Sanwo-Olu has chosen his successor-in-waiting, and he is doing so in the open.
