- Hamzat publicly signalled Lagos 2027 governorship ambition.
- He’s begun consultations with GAC, APC’s top decision-making body.
- The move strengthens his position as the APC frontrunner.
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has sent his strongest signal yet that he intends to run for governor of the state in 2027, commencing formal consultations with members of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) and making the process public on Monday.
EKO HOT BLOG that Hamzat confirmed the meetings in a post on X, framing them in language that left little doubt about the direction of his ambition.
EDITOR’S PICKS
“Today, I commenced consultations with esteemed members of the Governance Advisory Council,” he wrote.
“We engaged in sincere and insightful discussions on the future of Lagos and the leadership it demands. I deeply value the wealth of experience and guidance shared.”
The Lagos deputy governor added that the process is “rooted in listening, learning, and collaborating to build a stronger and more prosperous Lagos.”
Today, I began consultations with respected members of the Governance Advisory Council. We had honest, thoughtful conversations about the future of Lagos and the kind of leadership it requires.
I value the experience and guidance shared. This is about listening, learning and… pic.twitter.com/Wsuf14Qpcf
— Obafemi Hamzat (@drobafemihamzat) April 13, 2026
Until Monday, Hamzat’s governorship bid had existed largely in the realm of insider knowledge and third-party signals.
Sources had told EKO HOT BLOG that the GAC — the highest decision-making organ of the Lagos APC — had quietly aligned behind him as its preferred candidate to succeed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Last Friday, those signals became more visible when James Faleke, the ranking federal lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency and a close ally of President Bola Tinubu, publicly urged APC supporters across Lagos to back Hamzat for the governorship.
Good evening all. As we prepare for Party primaries next month, I urge all our supporters in ikeja Federal Constituency and Lagos state to support Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat as the next Governor of Lagos state from 2027-2035 IJN. Amen!
– James Faleke
10-4-2026
— Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke (@honfaleke) April 10, 2026
Yet even then, some caution lingered as Hamzat himself had said nothing.
By personally confirming the GAC consultations and making them public, Hamzat is unambiguously signalling a run, even without a formal declaration.
EKO HOT BLOG understands that he is deliberately holding off on that declaration until he has completed consultations with a broader range of Lagos APC stakeholders.
In Lagos politics, a meeting with the GAC is not a courtesy call. It is the formal gateway to the governorship. Every governor since Tinubu has passed through this process.
Hamzat’s possible emergence also carries significant implications for the Epe Division of Lagos State.
If the deputy governor becomes the APC candidate and is successful in the general election, he would make be the second governor to emerge from the Epe Division since former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who held office between 2015 and 2019.
For stakeholders in the Epe area, such a scenario represents more than a political milestone. It is an opportunity, perhaps a rare second one, to place the region’s developmental needs at the centre of Lagos governance. Community leaders and political insiders in the division have noted that Epe’s fishing economy, tourism potential, and long-neglected infrastructure deserve the kind of prioritised attention that only a sympathetic administration can provide.
Whether that opportunity is fully harnessed, insiders say, will depend on the unity and strategic coherence of Epe’s own political community.
As things stand, Hamzat is on a clear glide path to the APC nomination. With primaries scheduled between April 23 and May 30, no other aspirant is currently known to be in the running for the Lagos APC governorship ticket.
FURTHER READING
In a party where the GAC’s preferred candidate has historically been the party’s candidate, and where the party’s candidate has historically been governor, Monday’s consultations may have quietly settled one of 2027’s most watched political questions.
Click to watch the video of the week below:
