Tinubu backs Hamzat, Yayi, Alli as APC moves toward consensus for South-West governorship races

President Bola Tinubu and All Progressives Congress stakeholders have reportedly settled on preferred candidates for the 2027 governorship elections in Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo States, the three South-West states holding gubernatorial contests next year, with Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, and Senator Sharafadeen Alli emerging as the party’s consensus choices.

The choices emerged from a meeting of APC stakeholders from the three states with President Tinubu in Lagos on Sunday night, held on the sidelines of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations at which the president hosted Vice President Kashim Shettima and 23 governors. Sources with knowledge of the matter confirmed that Tinubu and party stakeholders from Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo held a separate session to take critical decisions ahead of next year’s general elections.

One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The choices of Hamzat, Yayi, and Alli were arrived at after a prolonged discussion with the President, taking into account the collective opinions of those present and the popularity of the candidates in their respective states.”

Among those at the meeting were Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele; Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti); and Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Zaccheaus Adedeji, among other top stakeholders.

For Lagos, Hamzat would become the first deputy governor to succeed his principal since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, if the consensus arrangement holds. However, the field of aspirants eyeing the Lagos ticket is crowded, with Gbajabiamila, former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, Chief of Staff to Governor Sanwo-Olu Tayo Ayinde, Private Secretary to the President Hakeem Muri-Okunola, and Senator Tokunbo Abiru, among others, also in contention.

In Ogun State, the consensus pick of Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi  has already gained significant traction beyond the party apparatus. Traditional rulers and community leaders in Ogun West have thrown their weight behind Adeola, with the Forum of Traditional Rulers and combined Obas of the West endorsing unity behind a single candidate and framing the governorship as Ogun West’s turn. However, the choice reportedly conflicts with Governor Abiodun’s preference for Senator Shaibu Afolabi Salisu of Ogun Central. “The governor seems to be backing Salisu due to his role in Abiodun’s 2019 election. However, former governor and party leader, Chief Olusegun Osoba, does not support this choice,” a source said.

The Oyo consensus choice of Senator Sharafadeen Alli also faces internal headwinds. Other APC aspirants eyeing the Oyo seat include the 2023 governorship candidate Teslim Folarin, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, Minister of Power Bayo Adelabu, former Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan, and several others. Sources at the meeting revealed that the minister does not enjoy the popularity that could make him win the Oyo governorship election against the candidate of the incumbent Governor Seyi Makinde.

At least one of those reported to have been sidelined pushed back against the narrative. Adelabu, speaking through his Special Adviser on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, insisted that the APC was yet to officially pick a candidate in Oyo State. “At a period like this, especially when nomination for tickets is very close, there will be a lot of people coming out to sell their ideas to the public in order to gain relevance,” he said.

In the South-West, only Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo states will hold governorship elections in 2027, and the President is prepared to lead the party to victory from his home zone. The consensus arrangement, while still unofficial, signals that the APC’s highest echelon is already positioning to retain all three governorships in a region considered the political heartland of the Tinubu presidency.