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By Funsho Arogundade
As conversations around the 2027 governorship race in Lagos State gather momentum, some familiar names continue to dominate political salons and strategy sessions, especially within the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC). Yet, beneath the predictable permutations and power alignments lies a quieter but increasingly compelling name: Dr Samuel Mawuyon Ajose.
In a state defined by its five historic divisions, Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, and Epe, one of them has never tasted the governorship: Badagry. The coastal corridor rich in heritage and economic promise remains the only division yet to produce a governor. For many political observers, this long-standing imbalance is no longer a footnote; it is an unfinished chapter in Lagos’ power calculus.
Ajose, a distinguished professional with deep roots in Badagry, is steadily emerging as a symbol of that corrective moment. In recent months, sources close to his camp reveal that he has been consulting far and wide, engaging elders, youth leaders, technocrats, and party stakeholders across Ikeja, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Epe, and his native Badagry. These consultations, described as deliberate and listening-driven, are said to reflect a candidate more interested in consensus-building than grandstanding. Ajose has been quietly stitching alliances that cut across geography and generation. Those who know Ajose describe him as a man equally comfortable in boardrooms and community squares, a bridge between elite policy circles and grassroots realities.
Beyond public service conversations, Ajose is understood to sit atop the boards of towering organisations, presiding over strategic decisions that shape enterprise, governance, and institutional growth. That boardroom gravitas, allies argue, reinforces his reputation as a steady hand capable of navigating Lagos’ vast administrative machinery. His career trajectory reflects technocratic depth, administrative discipline, and a nuanced understanding of Lagos’ complex socio-economic ecosystem. In a state that thrives on scale, systems, and sustainability, such a profile is not incidental; it is strategic. What makes Ajose particularly intriguing is the timing. Lagos politics has evolved beyond geography, but geography still matters. The unwritten doctrine of balance, rotational sensitivity across divisions, has often shaped internal party consensus.
As APC stakeholders quietly weigh electability, competence, and equity, the Badagry argument grows stronger. The symbolism of producing a governor from a historically marginalised division could re-energise grassroots structures, especially in riverine and border communities that have long felt peripheral to Alausa’s inner sanctum. But symbolism alone does not win primaries.
Insiders note that Ajose’s strength lies in his understated coalition-building. There is also the generational subtext. Ajose’s technocratic leanings sharpened in executive boardrooms and institutional leadership positions, placing him in a class of aspirants who view governance less as spectacle and more as systems engineering.
