Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has publicly endorsed his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, describing him as the right person to sustain the state’s development trajectory.
Sanwo-Olu made the remarks in a Facebook post in which he reflected on his political relationship with Hamzat, revealing that the deputy governor had stepped aside from his governorship ambition in 2018 to support his emergence as the party’s candidate.
According to Sanwo-Olu, party leaders had asked Hamzat to withdraw his ambition in September 2018, despite his 13 years of public service under former Lagos governors, Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola.
He said Hamzat accepted the decision without resentment and agreed to become his running mate five weeks later, describing the gesture as one he had never forgotten.
The governor praised Hamzat’s contributions to his administration over the past seven years, citing his involvement in major projects and government responses, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lagos Blue and Red Rail Lines and the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
Sanwo-Olu also highlighted Hamzat’s engineering background and previous public service record, noting that he built the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge under Fashola and contributed to the digitalisation of government operations under Tinubu.
Defending Lagos State’s political succession arrangement, the governor argued that the state had maintained a tradition of leadership continuity, tracing the transition from Tinubu to Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode and himself.
He maintained that Lagos needed an experienced successor who understood the state’s development plans, particularly with major infrastructure projects underway and a long-term development master plan extending to 2052.
Responding to criticism that Lagos continues to select leaders from the same political circle, Sanwo-Olu argued that the state develops its political and administrative leaders through experience and preparation.
He described Hamzat’s potential leadership as a continuation of the development agenda pursued by successive administrations since 1999, rather than a new political experiment.
The governor concluded by urging Lagos residents to support the next phase of the state’s development, declaring that Hamzat was already prepared to take the baton of leadership under the slogan, ‘The Lagos PROMISE’.
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