The Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, has endorsed Deputy Governor Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat as its consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
The endorsement, reached after a series of high-level consultations among party leaders, signals an early move by the ruling party to consolidate its succession plan and present a united front ahead of the next electoral cycle.
The decision was formalised on Tuesday during a strategic meeting of the council at the Lagos State House in Marina, where influential party elders reviewed political developments and mapped out the party’s future direction.
Key figures within the Lagos APC, including Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, were part of the broader leadership bloc that aligned behind the consensus arrangement.
Addressing stakeholders, GAC Chairman, Tajudeen Olusi, affirmed the council’s position, declaring that the party had unanimously settled for Hamzat as its standard-bearer.
“He is the consensus candidate of our party, and we have all resolved to stand by him,” Olusi said, in remarks captured in a video circulated after the meeting.
The council emphasised that the move reflects extensive consultations across the party’s hierarchy and is aimed at preserving internal cohesion while ensuring continuity in governance.
Party insiders say the endorsement is expected to significantly shape early permutations within the Lagos APC, effectively narrowing the field and discouraging internal contestation as the 2027 race approaches.
The GAC has, over the years, played a decisive role in shaping leadership outcomes within Lagos politics, functioning as the APC’s apex advisory and consensus-building organ in the state. Its endorsements often carry significant weight, historically influencing candidate emergence in gubernatorial and other major elections.
Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, has remained under the control of the APC and its political predecessors since 1999, with transitions largely driven by internal party arrangements rather than fiercely contested primaries.
Hamzat, a technocrat and long-serving public official, has been a central figure in successive administrations. Before becoming deputy governor, he served in key roles, including Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, earning a reputation for policy continuity and administrative experience.
Political analysts view the early endorsement as part of a broader strategy by the Lagos APC to avoid internal divisions and maintain its electoral dominance in a state widely regarded as critical to national politics.
While the 2027 election cycle is still some distance away, Tuesday’s development suggests that succession politics within the Lagos APC is already taking shape, with party leaders moving to stabilise the field well ahead of formal campaigns.
