President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally endorsed Obafemi Hamzat as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 election in Lagos State.
The endorsement followed a high-level meeting between the President and members of the party’s Governance Advisory Council (GAC) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Hamzat said the delegation, led by GAC Chairman, Tajudeen Olusi, formally presented him to the President, who gave his approval to both his candidacy and the council’s decision.
“These are fathers, they are leaders, they’ve seen a lot of Christmases, they’ve seen a lot of Eid El Kabir, so they have experience, and therefore I’m really, really excited that they brought me here to meet Mr President, and Mr President has blessed us and blessed the decision of GAC”, he said.
On his readiness for the race, the deputy governor acknowledged the scale of the task but expressed confidence in his experience in government.
“Nobody is ready because the assignment is audacious. But what you have is experience. Having served as Deputy Governor of Lagos under Governor Sanwo-Olu, I’ve learned a lot. I know the room. I know where the kitchen is.
“You know, if you want to cook for people and you don’t know the kitchen, doesn’t matter how good a chef you are, you must know the kitchen.
“So with God’s blessings and the support of all my fathers here, I really don’t have any fear,” Hamzat added.
The development comes amid a series of political moves within the Lagos APC, including the earlier endorsement of Hamzat by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who publicly presented him as his preferred successor.
The GAC subsequently ratified the decision at a meeting in Lagos, adopting Hamzat as its consensus candidate and resolving to purchase his ₦50 million nomination form.
Reacting to criticisms from some party members, including APC chieftain Samuel Ajose, Olusi defended the consensus process, describing it as part of the party’s internal tradition.
“We are in the arena of politics, and people are free to express their opinions in a free society.
“But I have been in politics for a very long time. I was part of the team that raised the system and have been part of every typical race, I know all the governors except one.
“It is part of the system that we come together, put our heads together and take a course of action. People are free to comment, but what they comment on is nothing with all of us,” Olusi said.
Despite the endorsement, party leaders maintained that governorship primaries will still be conducted in line with party guidelines, with the APC fixing May 21, 2026, for the exercise, while submission of nomination forms is expected to close on May 4.