“IN SEVEN YEARS, I NEVER WONDERED WHOSE SIDE HE WAS ON” — SANWO-OLU

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has recounted how his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, abandoned his ambition to become governor in 2018 after party leaders asked him to step aside in his favour.

The revelation was made in a post on X on Friday, as Hamzat presented his governorship manifesto, tagged “The Lagos PROMISE,” ahead of the 2027 election .

THE SACRIFICE

ADVERTISEMENT

Sanwo-Olu said Hamzat had the experience, political backing and public service record to contest the governorship election but agreed to become his running mate about five weeks after withdrawing from the race.

“Back in September 2018, Femi Hamzat wanted to be Governor of Lagos State. He had thirteen years of public service under Asiwaju and BRF, with the record and backing to win. Then party leaders asked him to step aside for me,” Sanwo-Olu wrote. “It takes a rare man to put down what he wants without nursing a grudge. Femi shook my hand and, five weeks later, agreed to run beside me. I have never forgotten that”.

THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP

Reflecting on their working relationship since assuming office in 2019, Sanwo-Olu said he had spent 2,711 days working alongside Hamzat and had never questioned his deputy’s loyalty.”In many states, deputies are kept in reserve.

On day one, Femi promised to be the best deputy governor in Lagos history. He kept his word. In seven years, there has not been a single day I wondered whose side he was on. We have had one government, one direction, and one voice,” he said .

The governor credited Hamzat with contributing to the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of major infrastructure projects, including the Blue and Red rail lines and the Lekki Deep Sea Port.

THE ENDORSEMENT

Sanwo-Olu described Hamzat’s ambition as the next phase of a leadership transition that began in 1999, urging Lagos residents to support his deputy.

“Lagos runs on a relay system. The baton is never passed to a runner standing still. You run at full speed inside the exchange zone, together, before the pass. That is how Lagos has been governed for 27 years, from Asiwaju to BRF, to Ambode, to me,” he said .

He added: “Critics say Lagos keeps choosing from the same pool. I say Lagos trains its people. With major projects underway and a master plan stretching to 2052, this is not the time to experiment”.

WHY IT MATTERS

The relationship between a governor and his deputy is often fraught with tension, suspicion and political ambition. In many states, deputies are sidelined, their loyalty questioned, their ambitions crushed.

Lagos is different. Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat have governed as a team, and the governor is now endorsing his deputy as his successor. It is a rare display of political maturity and trust.

For Hamzat, the 2018 sacrifice has been repaid with an endorsement.

For Sanwo-Olu, the endorsement is a recognition of a partnership that has lasted seven years.

For Lagos, it is a signal of continuity in a state that has been governed by the same political family since 1999.The baton is being passed. And Hamzat is already running. ValidViewNetwork reports.