Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged residents to sustain the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration in the state, saying ongoing development projects require continuity rather than experimentation.
Sanwo-Olu made the appeal on Friday while endorsing the APC governorship candidate, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, at the presentation of his manifesto at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly the National Theatre, in Iganmu, Lagos.
The governor described Hamzat, his deputy for seven years, as an experienced public administrator who had been part of the state’s governance and development process for more than two decades.
He said Lagos could not afford to entrust its leadership to someone unfamiliar with the state’s governance structure, particularly at a time when several major infrastructure projects were still ongoing.
“This is not the time to experiment with Lagos. This is the time to consolidate. And consolidation is not standing still. Continuity does not mean repeating ourselves. It means finishing what was started, fixing what is not working, and starting what comes next, in that order, with a plan,” he said.
Recalling the 2018 APC governorship primary, Sanwo-Olu said Hamzat had been in the race to succeed former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode but agreed to step down following the party leaders’ decision in his favour.
He said Hamzat subsequently agreed to run alongside him as deputy governor, describing the decision as a demonstration of loyalty and commitment to the party and Lagos State.
“I have thought about what it costs a man to put down the thing he wants most, in public, at the request of people he respects, for the benefit of someone else.
“Many men would have done it and nursed the wound. Some would have done it and plotted. Femi Hamzat did it, shook my hand, and five weeks later agreed to run beside me,” the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu, who described his address as a testimony rather than a goodwill message, said his seven years of working closely with Hamzat had convinced him of the deputy governor’s capacity, loyalty and commitment to governance.
He cited Hamzat’s involvement in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the October 2020 crisis, the development of the Blue and Red rail lines and the Lekki Deep Sea Port as evidence of his contributions to the administration.
According to him, Hamzat was not merely a ceremonial deputy governor but had played an active role in policy formulation, project implementation and the day-to-day administration of the state.
“In seven years, there has not been one day, not one, when I had to wonder whose side my deputy was on.
“In Lagos, there has been one government, one direction and one voice. That did not happen by accident. It happened because of who he is,” he said.
The governor also highlighted Hamzat’s previous roles in government, recalling that he served as Commissioner for Science and Technology under former Governor Bola Tinubu and later as Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure under former Governor Babatunde Fashola.
He said Hamzat was instrumental in the computerisation of government operations, the removal of ghost workers from the state’s payroll and the development of infrastructure, including the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge.
Sanwo-Olu further noted that Hamzat’s experience in the Federal Ministry of Works, where he served under Fashola, had given him additional exposure to infrastructure development and public administration.
Describing the APC’s succession arrangement as a relay race, the governor said the party had sustained a governance structure in which successive governors were prepared through years of participation in government before assuming office.
He traced the arrangement from Tinubu to Fashola, Ambode and himself, arguing that Hamzat’s seven years as deputy governor had positioned him to continue the state’s development agenda.
“Lagos does not hand the baton to a man standing still. Lagosians have never before been offered a man who ran this long, this close, beside the governor he hopes to succeed,” he said.
On the development priorities ahead, Sanwo-Olu listed the second phases of the Blue and Red rail lines, the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge, the Lekki-Epe International Airport, the Omu Creek project, food hubs and logistics parks as major projects requiring sustained attention.
He said the projects formed part of a long-term development plan extending to 2052, adding that successive administrations must work towards completing them rather than abandoning ongoing initiatives.
Sanwo-Olu also defended the continuity of the APC administration against criticisms that the party had consistently produced governors from within the same political circle.
He argued that the arrangement represented a process of grooming and preparing public administrators through years of service.
“A city of more than 23 million people is not a place for a first job,” he said.
The governor, who disclosed that he had seven months left in office, said one of his greatest achievements would be handing over power to his successor without a political crisis.
He contrasted the relationship between himself and Hamzat with succession disputes that had generated political divisions and legal battles in other states.
“Lagos is going to change governors without a quarrel. There is no greater gift a governor can leave his people than a handover that does not break the house,” he said.
Addressing Hamzat directly, Sanwo-Olu urged him to remain accessible to the people, complete ongoing projects and sustain the governance structure that had prepared him for leadership.
He also called on the APC deputy governorship candidate, Princess Damilola Sonayon-James, to build a strong working relationship with Hamzat, saying her emergence would bring greater representation for Lagos West, particularly Badagry, as well as women and young people.
The governor disclosed that 657,917 APC members voted for Hamzat during the party’s governorship primary on May 21, 2026, describing the outcome as an expression of the party’s support for his candidacy.
He urged party members to take the campaign to communities across the state, including Ikeja, Ikorodu, Badagry, Epe and Lagos Island.
Sanwo-Olu also challenged Lagos residents to scrutinise Hamzat’s manifesto and assess its proposals against their expectations for infrastructure, education, security and economic development.
“Read this manifesto. Argue with it. Test it against your own street, your own market, your own child’s school. Then ask yourself one question. Who is more likely to deliver it: the man who has run beside the governor for seven years, or someone who would be touching the baton for the first time?” he said.
WATCH TOP VIDEOS FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE TV