Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has recounted how his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, abandoned his governorship ambition in 2018 to support his emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
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Sanwo-Olu said Hamzat had the public service experience and political support to contest the election but accepted party leaders’ decision to step aside. He later agreed to become Sanwo-Olu’s running mate.
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The governor shared the account in a post on his X account on Friday, describing Hamzat’s decision as an act of selflessness that he had continued to appreciate.
He recalled that Hamzat had spent 13 years in public service under former Lagos governors Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola before party leaders asked him to withdraw from the contest in September 2018.
According to Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat accepted the arrangement without resentment and shook hands with him before agreeing, five weeks later, to contest the election as his deputy.
Hamzat later withdrew from the governorship race and urged his supporters to back Sanwo-Olu in the APC primary.
Reflecting on their seven years in office, the governor said they had worked together for 2,711 days without him questioning his deputy’s loyalty or commitment to the administration.
He explained that Hamzat had promised from the beginning to serve as an effective deputy governor and had fulfilled that commitment. Sanwo-Olu added that their administration had maintained a common direction and worked as a united team.
The governor also credited Hamzat with contributing to the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the delivery of major infrastructure projects, including the Blue and Red rail lines and the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
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He said his deputy’s engineering background had been valuable in addressing technical issues and making decisions on major projects throughout their administration.
Sanwo-Olu further recalled Hamzat’s previous roles in the Lagos State Government, including his appointment as Commissioner for Science and Technology under Tinubu and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure during Fashola’s administration.
He also mentioned Hamzat’s involvement in the construction of the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge under Fashola and the digitisation of government processes during Tinubu’s tenure.
Describing Lagos governance as a continuous process in which successive administrations build on the work of their predecessors, Sanwo-Olu said the state had maintained that approach from Tinubu through Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode to his own administration.
The governor’s remarks came as Hamzat unveiled his governorship manifesto, tagged The Lagos PROMISE, ahead of the 2027 election.
Sanwo-Olu called on Lagos residents to support his deputy’s ambition, arguing that the state’s leadership transition should build on its existing development plans and ongoing projects.
He said Lagos had continued to develop its political and administrative leadership over the years and maintained that the state should not abandon its long-term plans, particularly with major projects underway and a development master plan extending to 2052.
The governor described Hamzat as a candidate already familiar with the administration’s priorities and urged residents to support his vision under The Lagos PROMISE.
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