Barely 24 hours after the Governance Advisory Council’s endorsement, the deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has said President Bola Tinubu has blessed his 2027 Lagos governorship ambition under the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC.
Hamzat disclosed this on Wednesday, after a meeting between President Tinubu and the GAC, the highest decision-making organ of the Lagos State APC at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking to Journalists, after the closed-door meeting, he said the delegation, led by GAC chairman Prince Tajudeen Olusi, attended by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, presented him to the President and received his blessing for the decision to back his candidature.
According to Hamzat: “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.”
While describing his governorship ambition as “audacious”, he expressed confidence that his experience as Deputy Governor would prepare him for the task ahead.
He continued: “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, it 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,” he added.
The development followed several recent endorsements by party leaders, including Governor Sanwo-Olu’s public declaration on Monday at Lagos House, Marina, backing Hamzat as the best man to succeed him. Subsequently, the GAC followed suit in a unanimous adoption at a meeting held at the same venue.
The 34-member council also purchased the governorship nomination form and expression of interest form at the cost of N50 million in support of his ambition.
Speaking after the meeting at the Presidency, Abuja, GAC Chairman, Olusi, said the council’s decision reflected collective agreement among members, dismissing objections raised by other aspirants.
He, however, reiterated the resolve of the party to conduct primaries for all aspirants in line with APC guidelines to ensure fairness and internal democracy.
Hamzat, 59, a former Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure under former Governor Babatunde Fashola, was also Commissioner for Science and Technology under the administration of Akinwunmi Ambode. He has been the current Deputy Governor under Sanwo-Olu since 2019.