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The race to succeed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2027 is gradually taking shape, but for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, the contest is about more than winning an election. It is also about sustaining a political and developmental tradition that has defined Lagos’ governance for more than two decades, while convincing residents that his administration would offer something beyond continuity.
With the unveiling of his 100-point manifesto, tagged “The Lagos Promise (Ileri Eko)”, Hamzat has formally presented his vision for the state, outlining an ambitious development agenda covering healthcare, education, transportation, infrastructure, economic opportunities, security, social protection and institutional reforms.
But perhaps the most significant political statement at the manifesto presentation on October 30 was not made by the candidate himself. It came from his principal, Governor Sanwo-Olu, whose unusually personal endorsement offered an insight into the succession arrangement the APC hopes to present to Lagosians.
In an address that combined political history, personal testimony and an appeal for continuity, Sanwo-Olu portrayed Hamzat as a politician who had been involved in the evolution of modern Lagos for more than two decades and had worked closely with successive administrations.
Recounting how Hamzat stepped aside for him during the 2018 governorship contest after the party’s leadership intervened, Sanwo-Olu described his deputy’s decision as an expression of loyalty and political maturity.
He also highlighted their more than seven-year working relationship, citing Hamzat’s involvement in major government decisions, including the COVID-19 response, the development of the Blue and Red rail lines and the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
For Sanwo-Olu, these experiences constitute an important qualification for the deputy governor’s succession bid.
His central argument was captured in the analogy of a relay race, in which successive governors inherit the responsibility of sustaining the state’s development rather than abandoning existing projects to begin afresh.
The analogy reflects the APC’s longstanding argument for continuity, tracing Lagos’ development trajectory from President Bola Tinubu’s administration as governor through those of Babatunde Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode and Sanwo-Olu.
Apart from the governor endorsement, Lagos APC and its Governance Advisory Council (GAC) also highlighted Hamzat’s experience in public service, knowledge of government and involvement in the state’s development as reasons he should succeed Sanwo-Olu in 2027.
The duo stressed the need for continuity, innovation and purposeful leadership, arguing that the next administration should consolidate the achievements of successive APC governments while addressing existing development gaps.
The unveiling attracted thousands of party faithful, political stakeholders, traditional rulers, religious leaders and captains of industry who attended as special guest of honour.
The dignitaries includes the governor’s wife, Dr. Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, former Governor Babatunde Fashola, SAN, former Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi, APC State Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, members of the National Assembly, the Lagos State House of Assembly and the Governance Advisory Council.
Hamzat’s presentation focused on policy, accountability and his personal understanding of public service, the manifesto is organised around seven pillars: People First, Renewal, Opportunity, Machinery of Government, Inclusion, Security and Resilience, and Everyday Excellence.
The manifesto, organised around seven pillars, contains 87 firm commitments within the powers of the Lagos State Government and 13 broader aspirations requiring cooperation with the Federal Government, wider consultations or judicial intervention.
The defining feature of the manifesto was his commitment to institutionalise public accountability through measurable targets, independent performance assessments and regular disclosure of government achievements and failures.
He challenged Lagosians to hold him responsible for every promise contained in his 100-point development blueprint, declaring that a promise made to the electorate is a debt that must be repaid through performance.
“I stand before you today not simply to ask for your vote, but to earn your trust, to share my vision for Lagos, to explain what I believe that we must do differently, and to demonstrate why I am prepared to serve you,” he declared.
Hamzat also promised to establish a Lagos State Service Delivery Office within his first 100 days in office, with a framework requiring public complaints to be acknowledged within 48 hours, answered within seven days and resolved within 30 days.
He also used the occasion to offer an insights into the personal experiences and values that have shaped his understanding of public service.
The APC guber candidate recalled encountering the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo when he was 14 and a student at Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo. Awolowo’s campaign procession had passed along the road in front of his school, giving him an opportunity to see the legendary progressive politician at close range.
The encounter, he said, left an enduring impression, particularly Awolowo’s philosophy that a nation progresses when people of honour and ability choose to serve.
His political consciousness was also shaped by his father, Alhaji Mufutau Olatunji Hamzat, a banker who later became involved in progressive politics. Elected into the Lagos State House of Assembly in 1979, his father subsequently served as Commissioner for Public Transportation under the late Governor Lateef Jakande.
Hamzat also recalled his childhood in Mushin, where he attended Odoabore Memorial Primary School. Those formative experiences exposed him to the everyday challenges confronting ordinary Lagos residents.
“Mushin taught me many things. I learned what a clear drain means to a street during the rainy season. I learned what steady light means to a trader at four in the afternoon,” he said.
For him, development is not merely about impressive infrastructure or ambitious programmes; it must improve people’s everyday lives.
He illustrated this with the experience of a 10-year-old boy he encountered under a bridge at Oshodi at about 2 a.m. The child, who had reportedly fled his home in another state because his environment was unsafe, considered sleeping under a bridge preferable to returning home.
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The experience reinforced Hamzat’s conviction that government must protect vulnerable children through functional schools, healthcare facilities and effective social welfare institutions.
“If you are a child and you live in Lagos, then you are a child of Lagos. Lagos will know you are here, Lagos will work for you, Lagos will protect you,” he declared.
He said his parents had instilled three principles in him: respect, work and truth.
Respect means treating citizens with dignity; work requires delivery before publicity, while truth demands honesty about government performance.
In the manifesto, among his core agenda includes: increasing the public bus fleet from approximately 1,000 to 4,000, expanding health insurance coverage to more than three million residents, providing water to an additional six million people and strengthening the state’s security architecture.
Healthcare and education occupy prominent positions in the blueprint
Hamzat pledged to increase maternal and child centres from 10 to 15 and expand the Ilera Eko health insurance programme from nearly two million beneficiaries to more than three million.
He also promised to complete the 150-bed Massey Children’s Hospital, the 280-bed Ojo General Hospital and the 150-bed Somolu General Hospital, adding 580 beds to the state’s healthcare capacity. Two additional general hospitals are proposed for Ogombo and Ibeju-Lekki, alongside the upgrading of 100 primary healthcare centres.
On education, he promised improved teacher training, professional development and learning outcomes, while highlighting EKOEXCEL and the Eko Learn initiative, which provides 320 lessons online and on television. He also proposed a University of Medicine and Health Sciences to expand tertiary education and strengthen the state’s healthcare workforce.
Recognising that government cannot provide all the jobs required by Lagos’s growing population, Hamzat argued that its responsibility is to create an environment in which businesses can expand and employ more people.
He promised to expand opportunities through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, introduce a single schedule of lawful government charges to reduce uncertainty for businesses and reserve a defined proportion of state procurement opportunities for qualified Lagos enterprises.
Under a proposed apprenticeship scheme, students would spend between six and 12 months working with employers, with the state paying 40 per cent of their stipends.
Artisans would receive free professional certification based on their practical skills. For young people, he pledged to expand opportunities in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, blockchain and other emerging technologies.
Transportation, one of Lagos’s most pressing challenges, received considerable attention. Hamzat promised to increase the public bus fleet from approximately 1,000 to 4,000, with the capacity to transport one million passengers daily.
He also pledged to extend the Blue Line to Okokomaiko, advance the Green Line from Marina to the Lekki Free Trade Zone and improve connections between existing rail corridors. Other proposed projects include the Fourth Mainland Bridge, the Regional Road along the Lekki-Epe axis and Phase II of the Opebi-Mende Link Bridge.
On water transportation, he promised to dredge an additional 140 kilometres of waterways, refurbish 25 ferry terminals and jetties, optimise 15 ferry routes and procure 75 additional electric vessels.
Housing is another major component. Hamzat promised to complete ongoing projects, expand Lagos HOMS and introduce a more accessible mortgage scheme requiring a 10 per cent deposit, single-digit interest rates and longer repayment periods.
On security, he pledged to extend the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency across all wards in the state’s 20 local government areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas. He also proposed installing streetlights and CCTV cameras in communities and establishing a State Intelligence Fusion Centre to strengthen responses to organised crime and other security threats.
Water supply and environmental sustainability also featured prominently. Hamzat promised to complete the Adiyan Phase Two water project, designed to produce 70 million gallons daily and serve an additional six million residents. He also pledged to rehabilitate 24 micro and mini waterworks and achieve 95 per cent waste collection coverage, alongside completing waste transfer stations and a waste-to-energy facility.
On inclusion, he promised to strengthen programmes such as Obirin Eko for women, Omo Eko for young people and Iyi Eko for persons with disabilities, insisting that Lagos must work for everyone, irrespective of ethnic, religious or geographical background.
For his first 100 days in office, Hamzat identified three priorities: establishing a Child Protection and Nutrition Agency to ensure that every child below 18 is either in school or learning a trade and receives adequate nutrition; setting up the Lagos State Service Delivery Office; and advancing a State Wealth Fund, with an independent board and published accounts, to preserve the state’s wealth for future generations.
Sanwo-Olu’s endorsement has given Hamzat’s candidacy a strong continuity narrative. The outgoing governor has presented his deputy as a participant in the decisions, planning and execution of major projects during the current administration.
The APC leadership, represented by state chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi and former Deputy Governor Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, has also emphasised the importance of preserving existing achievements while correcting shortcomings.
However, while continuity is the political foundation of Hamzat’s campaign, it also presents a challenge.
Lagos residents will want to know whether the next administration intends merely to preserve the existing order or introduce fresh solutions to problems that continue to affect their daily lives.
Hamzat must ultimately make his case to residents whose expectations extend beyond the relationship between the outgoing governor and his successor.
