Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has officially endorsed his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, as his preferred successor for the 2027 governorship election.

The announcement was made on Monday, April 27, 2026, during a meeting at the Lagos House, Marina, where Hamzat formally declared his intention to run.

In the past few weeks, Hamzat has received widespread endorsement from political and community leaders across the state during his various consultative visits.

Recall that the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, had expressed support for Hamzat’s governorship bid.

Also, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Senator representing Lagos East, Tokunbo Abiru; and former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and other stakeholders have endorsed Hamzat’s gubernatorial bid.

Details shortly…

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday has barred journalists from covering the bail proceedings of six defendants standing trial for an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, reportedly ordered reporters to leave the courtroom shortly before the trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, took her seat.

The order was said to have come from the judge.

At the time of filing this report, the journalists complied and exited the courtroom.

This is coming after heightened public interest in the trial of the six defendants, who were arraigned last Wednesday by the FG over an alleged failed coup.

Those standing trial are Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired major-general; Erasmus Victor, a retired navy captain; Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector; and Zekeri Umoru, an electrician at the Presidential Villa.

Others are Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani, Zaria-based Islamic clerics.

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, is reportedly shifting his political focus to a seat in the House of Representatives (Agege Federal Constituency) for the 2027 elections.

Obasa, who had nursed aspirations to succeed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, reportedly intensified statewide political consultations through the revival of the Mandate Group, a legacy political structure associated with President Bola Tinubu.

The move, Vanguard gathered, was aimed at consolidating support among both old and new loyalists of the president while positioning himself as a formidable contender for the governorship.

However, sources within the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos said Mr Obasa took a decisive turn when President Tinubu, in consultation with the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), settled for Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, as the preferred governorship candidate.

Following this development, it was gathered that Obasa was said to have redirected his focus to the Lagos West Senatorial District, with plans to challenge the incumbent senator and former deputy governor, Senator Idiat Adebule.

“His interest gained traction amid internal party considerations to field the Speaker as the APC’s senatorial candidate for the district,” APC sources disclosed.

The move, however, met resistance from the APC’s national leadership and its women’s wing, who mounted sustained pressure for Adebule’s retention.

Party stakeholders argued that she remains the only female senator from the South-West geopolitical zone, making her “candidacy critical to gender representation in the National Assembly”.

It was further gathered that in response, President Tinubu was said to have “advised Obasa to pursue a seat in the House of Representatives instead.”

Sources within the APC fold said, “He was specifically directed to contest for the Agege Federal Constituency currently represented by first-term lawmaker Dr Wale Ahmed.”

Sources further hinted that Obasa has since “begun quiet mobilisation efforts within Agege, rallying grassroots support for his new political objective”. This development marks a significant shift, particularly as the Speaker had previously endorsed Mr Egunjobi for the same seat before the latest realignment.”

In addition, multiple sources disclosed that Obasa’s “strategic repositioning” underscores the fluid nature of Lagos APC politics as the 2027 elections approach, with party cohesion and leadership directives continuing to shape the ambitions of key actors.

SOURCE