Tensions rise in Lagos APC over Seyi Tinubu’s rumoured 2027 governorship bid

Tensions are escalating within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its powerful Governance Advisory Council (GAC), following swirling speculations that Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is gearing up to contest the 2027 governorship election in Nigeria’s most economically strategic state.

Seyi Tinubu, 39, a media entrepreneur and CEO of Loatsad Promomedia Ltd., has not made any public declaration, but growing endorsements from youth groups, diaspora organisations, and political allies have stirred controversy and deepened internal party divisions.

Among those backing the president’s son are the Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders, The Future Platform, and Nigerian communities abroad—groups that view Seyi as a youthful symbol of continuity and innovation.

Should he run and emerge victorious in 2027, Seyi would become the youngest governor of Lagos State since its creation in 1967, breaking the current record held by Babatunde Fashola, who assumed office at age 43.

However, far from being universally embraced, the prospect of Seyi Tinubu’s candidacy has triggered an internal power struggle within the APC, particularly among the 30-member Governance Advisory Council.

The GAC, founded by President Tinubu during his tenure as governor in 1999, serves as the ultimate political kingmaker in Lagos, having played decisive roles in the emergence of past governors including Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode, and the incumbent, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Multiple sources confirm that the GAC is now sharply divided. While some influential members see Seyi’s ambition as a continuation of a political legacy, others view it as an alarming drift toward dynastic politics.

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One senior party figure from Oshodi-Isolo described the move as “political arrogance,” warning that a potential Tinubu-Tinubu governance scenario—Seyi as governor of Lagos while his father seeks re-election as president—could alienate the electorate.

“It would feel like dictatorship, not democracy. We risk alienating the electorate,” the source said, speaking under anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Nevertheless, Seyi’s backers are equally vocal. Laken Agbaje, a prominent APC figure from Alimosho, cited global political families such as the Bushes in the U.S., the Marcos dynasty in the Philippines, and Nigeria’s own Saraki family in Kwara State as examples to counter accusations of nepotism.

“Seyi is a constitutional Nigerian with full political rights. If the people support him and the party clears him, what’s the issue?” Agbaje argued, highlighting Seyi’s popularity among digitally savvy youth voters.

Despite the endorsements, concerns over Seyi Tinubu’s lack of political experience persist. Critics question whether his background in advertising qualifies him to lead a complex state like Lagos, home to over 20 million people and demanding infrastructure challenges.

More worrying for some stakeholders is the growing perception that Seyi is already positioning loyalists to run in the forthcoming local government elections in Lagos, a move seen by critics as “undue interference” and a sign of strategic groundwork for a larger political play.

Adding to the tension is Lagos APC’s history of strategic zoning, with calls intensifying for the next governor to emerge from underrepresented districts. Since 1999, Lagos governors—including Bola Tinubu (Lagos Island), Fashola (Surulere), Ambode (Epe), and Sanwo-Olu (Lagos Island)—have come from a narrow axis of the state.

This has sparked agitation from other zones such as Badagry, Ikorodu, and Ikeja, which have yet to produce a governor.

Party insiders revealed that the issue of zoning was raised during a recent APC stakeholders’ meeting in Epe, where Seyi’s potential candidacy was discussed but quickly deferred due to the absence of a formal declaration from him.

READ ALSO: Tinubu can only be countered by northerner in 2027 – Dele Momodu

Meanwhile, an emerging faction within the party is reportedly rallying behind Hon. Babajimi Benson, the current House of Representatives member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency, as a more politically balanced alternative for 2027.

“The GAC and major APC stakeholders are increasingly nervous about the president’s silence on the matter,” a top party source told this reporter. “This lack of clarity is creating confusion and tension within the ranks. We don’t know whether to mobilise behind Seyi or prepare for another candidate.”

Observers say the uncertainty is reminiscent of President Tinubu’s own strategic silence in past political seasons—an approach that often kept allies and opponents guessing until the last moment.

Complicating matters further is the lingering memory of the 2023 presidential election, when President Tinubu lost Lagos to Labour Party candidate Peter Obi—a shocking outcome that many interpreted as a signal of dwindling influence in his traditional stronghold.

As 2027 draws nearer, the APC in Lagos faces a tough balancing act between political loyalty, generational transition, equity in zoning, and maintaining credibility with an increasingly discerning electorate.

Whether Seyi Tinubu ultimately throws his hat into the ring remains to be seen, but the tremors from his rumoured ambition are already reshaping the political landscape of Lagos State.