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By Faheem Lawal
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; member representing Agege Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Dr. Wale Ahmed and Director-General of the PBAT/KOH 2027 Campaign Organisation, Musiliu Obanikoro, have rallied members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) behind President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and the governorship bid of Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, committing the party’s campaign to God and predicting victory in 2027.
While Sanwo-Olu declared that the party had placed its electoral aspirations in God’s hands and would now go out to work for victory, Ahmed described the Tinubu and Hamzat tickets as “unstoppable,” as Obanikoro called on members to close ranks, reconcile differences arising from the primaries and approach the general election as “one indivisible political family.”
They spoke against the backdrop of an interfaith prayer session at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Onikan, Lagos, attended by Christian, Muslim and traditional religious leaders, elected officials, APC chieftains and supporters to commit Tinubu, Hamzat and other candidates of the party to God ahead of the elections.
Sanwo-Olu said the prayer session marked the spiritual commencement of the party’s campaign, stressing that having sought divine guidance, members must now move into the field and work for electoral victory.
“The objective of this gathering was for us to commit our campaign and all of the exercises to the hand of Almighty God. We have prayed, we have faith, and we now go out and work. God will crown our work, our effort, and as we have so desired it, so shall it be,” he said.
The governor expressed confidence that the prayers and efforts of party members would translate into victory for Tinubu in the presidential election and for the APC’s candidates in Lagos.
He specifically backed Hamzat, the incumbent Deputy Governor and APC governorship candidate, and his running mate, Damilola James, to succeed the current administration.
“By the grace of God, by the support of all of you, by the support of all Lagosians, God Almighty will make it possible for our current deputy governor, who is our governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, to be elected as the incoming governor,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He also pledged to personally mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election across the Southwest, assuring party members that the President’s campaign would receive his full attention.
Hamzat, who also addressed the gathering, said the interfaith session reflected the party’s belief in divine guidance in the affairs of the country and Lagos State.
“We believe that God directs all affairs of human beings. And as such, we are placing our country in the powerful hands of God, our state, Lagos, in the powerful hands of God,” he said.
He offered prayers for Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu, himself, his running mate and the party’s candidates for the National and State Assemblies.
Hamzat expressed confidence that Lagosians would support the APC’s entire slate of candidates, including its three senatorial candidates, 24 House of Representatives candidates and 40 State House of Assembly candidates.
Ahmed, in a statement after the prayer session, described the gathering as a strategic beginning to the party’s campaign, saying the APC had placed its electoral journey on a foundation of unity and prayers.
“The journey has begun on the right foundation. We have committed our aspirations and the future of our country and state to God,” he said.
The lawmaker declared that the Tinubu and Hamzat tickets were “unstoppable,” saying both represented experience, capacity and continuity.
Ahmed said the APC was entering the Lagos governorship race with a candidate whose years of public service had prepared him for the demands of governing Nigeria’s economic hub.
He said Hamzat’s involvement in successive administrations had given him a deep understanding of the state’s governance challenges and development trajectory.
“Dr. Hamzat is eminently qualified to be Governor of Lagos State. His experience is not theoretical; it is rooted in years of service and direct participation in the development of Lagos,” Ahmed said.
According to him, the complexity of Lagos requires a leader with a thorough understanding of its economy, infrastructure, population and governance structure.
“Lagos is a highly sophisticated economy and cannot be left to experimentation. Hamzat understands the state, understands governance and has the capacity to build on existing achievements,” he added.
Ahmed urged political parties and candidates to place the development and stability of Lagos above partisan interests and rally behind Hamzat, whom he said possessed the experience, temperament and institutional knowledge to advance the state’s development.
On the presidential election, the lawmaker expressed confidence in Tinubu’s chances and dismissed the prospects of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Ahmed argued that attempts by opposition politicians to forge a coalition ahead of the election lacked the cohesion and political structure that produced the APC’s historic victory in 2015.
“They cannot do in 2027 what President Tinubu and others did in 2015 because it is like making an attempt to use an old Italian trick on an Italian. That coalition was built on a solid political structure and a clear convergence of interests, with a clear spirit of give and take,” he said.
Ahmed advised Atiku to reconsider his presidential ambition and support Tinubu, describing both men as longstanding political associates.
“As for Atiku, I will advise him to work with his friend, President Tinubu. For Peter Obi, he should continue trying, but politics is dynamic and what worked in 2023 cannot automatically be reproduced in 2027.”
He urged APC leaders and supporters to translate the enthusiasm generated by the prayer session into intensive grassroots mobilisation.
“Tinubu and Hamzat represent experience, capacity and continuity. By the grace of God and the support of Nigerians and Lagosians, both tickets are unstoppable in 2027,” Ahmed declared.
Obanikoro, speaking under the theme, “Let God Go Before Us,” urged members to put behind them differences arising from the APC primaries and unite for the general election.
He warned that lingering internal bitterness could undermine the party’s electoral prospects, stressing that its opponents would not distinguish between competing tendencies within the APC.
“We competed with dignity, let us campaign with respect. The primary was concluded months back and everyone must close ranks,” he said.
Obanikoro urged members to approach the campaign as “one indivisible political family” and work collectively for Tinubu, Hamzat and other APC candidates.
Earlier, Chairman of the Interfaith Prayer Planning Committee, Oyinlomo Danmole, said the gathering was convened to pray for Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, the Hamzat-James governorship ticket and all other APC candidates in Lagos.
The interfaith session signalled the commencement of the Lagos APC’s mobilisation for the 2027 elections, with the party leadership seeking to combine post-primary reconciliation, grassroots mobilisation and support for Tinubu’s re-election with its bid to retain control of Lagos State.
