Hamzat, Salu-Hundeyin Emerge Favourites in Lagos APC 2027 Succession Talks

Hamzat and Salu-Hundeyin are emerging at the centre of fresh permutations within the Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC) as insiders hint that the duo may be adopted as the party’s consensus governorship ticket for the 2027 election.

According to party sources with close ties to the influential Lagos State Governance Advisory Council (GAC), current Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, from Epe Division, and the Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG), Barrister Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, from Badagry Division, are being quietly positioned as a likely governorship and deputy governorship pairing for the 2027 contest. The move is said to be part of a broader internal strategy to balance experience, continuity and geo-political considerations within the ruling party in the state.

Sources disclosed that discussions around the 2027 ticket reportedly featured at a high-level strategic meeting held in Lagos on Monday, March 23, where members of the GAC met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party’s national leader and power broker in Lagos politics. Though no official announcement has been made, party insiders described the engagement as “decisive” for shaping the succession race and consolidating the APC’s hold on Nigeria’s commercial capital ahead of the next electoral cycle.

Dr Hamzat, who has served as Deputy Governor since 2019, has long been seen as one of the natural contenders to succeed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, having previously held key positions including Commissioner for Science and Technology and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure. His proponents within the party argue that he represents stability and a seamless continuation of the current administration’s policies, especially in infrastructure and governance reforms.

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Barrister Salu-Hundeyin, appointed SSG in June 2023, is regarded in government circles as a seasoned technocrat and administrator with deep public service credentials. Before her current role, she served as Federal Commissioner representing Lagos State at the National Population Commission, and has been active in issues around security, governance and the protection of children and vulnerable groups. Her emergence in succession permutations is seen as reinforcing both the technocratic profile and gender inclusion narrative within the ruling party.

The GAC, an unelected but highly influential body of party elders and stakeholders, is widely believed to hold the decisive say in who eventually flies the APC flag in Lagos. While other names – including former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Senator Tokunbo Abiru – have featured prominently in 2027 conversations, party insiders say the council is working towards a consensus arrangement to minimise internal friction.

For now, the alleged Hamzat/Salu-Hundeyin ticket remains in the realm of speculation, with no formal declaration from the APC, the state government or the Presidency. However, Monday’s meeting between President Tinubu and GAC members is seen by many observers as a clear signal that the 2027 race has effectively begun in Lagos, even if the key actors continue to maintain public silence.