President Bola Tinubu has endorsed the 2027 governorship ambition of Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, following a meeting with leaders of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja.
Hamzat disclosed this to journalists shortly after a closed-door meeting between the President and members of the Governance Advisory Council at the Presidential Villa, barely 24 hours after the council endorsed his candidacy.
According to him, the delegation, led by GAC Chairman, Tajudeen Olusi, and attended by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, formally presented him to the President, who gave his blessing to the decision to support his ambition.
“These are fathers, they are leaders, they have seen a lot of Christmases and Eid. They have experience, and I am really excited they brought me to meet Mr President, who has blessed us and the decision of the GAC,” Hamzat said.
Describing his governorship ambition as audacious, the deputy governor expressed confidence that his years in office have equipped him for the task ahead.
“Nobody is ever fully ready because the assignment is demanding, but what you have is experience. Having served under Governor Sanwo-Olu, I have learned a lot. I understand how the system works and that gives me confidence,” he added.
The development followed a series of endorsements by party leaders, including Sanwo-Olu’s public declaration backing Hamzat as his preferred successor during a meeting at Lagos House, Marina.
The 34-member GAC had also unanimously adopted Hamzat and purchased the party’s nomination and expression of interest forms worth N50m in support of his ambition.
Speaking after the meeting, Olusi said the council’s decision reflected a collective agreement among members, dismissing concerns raised by other aspirants.
He, however, reaffirmed the party’s commitment to conducting primaries in line with its guidelines to ensure fairness and internal democracy ahead of the 2027 election.
