By Lukman OMIKUNLE
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu recounts how Femi Hamzat stepped aside for him in 2018, praising his loyalty, experience and role in Lagos development
Sanwo-Olu: Why Femi Hamzat Should Succeed Me as Lagos Governor
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has given a personal account of his political relationship with his deputy, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, recounting how the latter abandoned his ambition to become governor in 2018 and subsequently agreed to run alongside him as deputy governor.
In a statement shared on his X account, Sanwo-Olu recalled how Hamzat relinquished his governorship ambition in 2018 to pave the way for his emergence as the APC candidate, describing the decision as a rare act of loyalty and personal sacrifice that laid the foundation for their close working relationship over the past seven years..
The governor made the remarks while explaining why he considers Hamzat qualified to succeed him as Lagos State governor in 2027, presenting his deputy’s political experience, engineering background, institutional knowledge and contributions to successive administrations as important considerations in the state’s leadership transition.
According to Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat had nursed an ambition to govern Lagos in September 2018 after serving in public office under former governors Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola.
He said his deputy had accumulated about 13 years of public service experience and possessed the political backing and administrative record to pursue the governorship before party leaders intervened and asked him to step aside.
“Back in September 2018, Femi Hamzat wanted to be Governor of Lagos State. He had thirteen years of public service under Asiwaju and BRF, with the record and backing to win. Then party leaders asked him to step aside for me,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor described Hamzat’s decision to relinquish his ambition as an extraordinary demonstration of political maturity, noting that he subsequently agreed to become his running mate barely five weeks after stepping aside.
“It takes a rare man to put down what he wants without nursing a grudge. Femi shook my hand and five weeks later, agreed to run beside me. I have never forgotten that,” he added.
Sanwo-Olu said his assessment of Hamzat was not based solely on official records or professional qualifications but also on his personal experience of working closely with him since they assumed office in May 2019.
He said their relationship had been defined by mutual understanding, trust and a shared commitment to governance, insisting that Hamzat had remained a dependable partner during some of the most challenging and consequential periods of his administration.
“Anyone can read a CV but only the person in the room with a man when the cameras leave can tell you who he really is. For 2,711 days, I have been in that room with him,” the governor said.
Reflecting on major developments and difficult moments during his administration, Sanwo-Olu identified the COVID-19 pandemic, the completion and operation of the Lagos Blue and Red rail lines, and the opening of the Lekki Deep Sea Port as some of the defining periods in which Hamzat played a role.
He said his deputy was actively involved in discussions and decision-making surrounding major infrastructure projects, adding that Hamzat’s engineering background enabled him to interrogate technical issues and ask critical questions long before projects reached the commissioning stage.
“When COVID-19 hit, when we faced our hardest weeks, when the Blue and Red Lines ran and when the Lekki Deep Sea Port opened, Femi was there. Long before any ribbon was cut, he was asking the tough questions an engineer asks,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor also used the occasion to distinguish Hamzat’s approach to the office of deputy governor from what he described as a largely ceremonial or passive role in some administrations.
According to him, Hamzat made a commitment from the beginning of their administration to become one of the most effective deputy governors in Lagos history and had consistently demonstrated that commitment.
“On day one, Femi promised to be the best deputy governor in Lagos history. He kept his word. In seven years, there has not been a single day I wondered whose side he was on. We have had one government, one direction, and one voice,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu further placed the impending 2027 succession debate within the context of the political and administrative continuity that has characterised Lagos since 1999.
Using a relay race as an analogy, he argued that leadership transitions in the state should involve a seamless transfer of responsibilities from one administration to another rather than a departure from established development plans.
He traced the succession process through the administrations of Tinubu, Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode and his own, describing the continuity of leadership as an important feature of Lagos governance over the past 27 years.
“Lagos runs on a relay system. The baton is never passed to a runner standing still. You run at full speed inside the exchange zone, together, before the pass. That is how Lagos has been governed for 27 years, from Asiwaju to BRF, to Ambode, to me,” he said.
The governor also highlighted Hamzat’s previous responsibilities in the state government, particularly his tenure as commissioner under Fashola and Tinubu, arguing that his experience across different administrations had given him considerable institutional knowledge.
Hamzat served as Lagos Commissioner for Science and Technology between 2005 and 2011 under Tinubu and later Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure between 2011 and 2015 under Fashola. His public service record includes involvement in major infrastructure and technology initiatives in the state, including the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge project.
Sanwo-Olu also referenced Hamzat’s academic qualifications, including his doctorate in engineering, and his family’s history of public service, noting that his father had served during the administration of former Lagos governor Lateef Jakande.
“Femi is a deputy governor like no other. He built the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge under Fashola, digitized government under Asiwaju and holds a doctorate in engineering. His father served Lateef Jakande. This is in his blood,” the governor said.
Addressing concerns about the political dominance of a familiar circle of leaders in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu rejected suggestions that the state’s succession arrangement amounted to repeatedly choosing from the same pool of individuals.
He maintained that the Lagos political establishment had developed and prepared its members through years of public service, administrative exposure and institutional experience.
The governor argued that the scale of ongoing infrastructure projects and the state’s long-term development agenda, which he said extends to 2052, made continuity an important consideration in determining the next administration.
“Critics say Lagos keeps choosing from the same pool. I say Lagos trains its people. With major projects underway and a master plan stretching to 2052, this is not the time to experiment,” he said.
He further described Hamzat’s emergence as a continuation of an existing development trajectory rather than an entirely new political proposition.
“What Femi presents today is not a campaign promise cooked up on a bus, it is the next leg of a race we have been running since 1999,” Sanwo-Olu added.
Concluding his remarks, the governor returned to his relay-race analogy, maintaining that Hamzat was already familiar with the responsibilities and challenges associated with governing Lagos and was therefore positioned within the continuity framework he had outlined.
“Lagos does not hand the baton to a man standing still. Today, you have seen the man who is already running. Let us move forward together with The Lagos PROMISE,” he said.
Hamzat emerged as the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the 2027 Lagos election after winning the party’s direct primary in May 2026. His candidacy had earlier received the backing of Sanwo-Olu, the party’s Governance Advisory Council and President Bola Tinubu.
