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Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu commended his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, on Friday for stepping aside during the 2018 governorship race to pave the way for his candidacy.
Sanwo-Olu recalled that despite having 13 years of public service experience and strong party backing, Hamzat agreed to withdraw from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary and join the ticket as his running mate just five weeks later.
Most of you know this story, but none of you have heard it from me.
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.
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.
Anyone can read a CV but only the person in the room with a man when the cameras leave can tell you who he really is. For 2,711 days, I have been in that room with him.
When COVID-19 hit, when we faced our hardest weeks, when the Blue and Red Lines ran and when the Lekki Deep Sea Port opened, Femi was there. Long before any ribbon was cut, he was asking the tough questions an engineer asks.
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.
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.
Femi is a deputy governor like no other. He built the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge under Fashola, digitized government under Asiwaju and holds a doctorate in engineering. His father served Lateef Jakande. This is in his blood.
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. What Femi presents today is not a campaign promise cooked up on a bus, it is the next leg of a race we have been running since 1999.
Lagos does not hand the baton to a man standing still. Today, you have seen the man who is already running. Let us move forward together with The Lagos PROMISE.
— Babajide Sanwo-Olu (@jidesanwoolu) October 30, 2026
The governor described the gesture as a rare act of selflessness that cemented a unified leadership direction for the state.
Reflecting on their seven years in office, Sanwo-Olu highlighted Hamzat’s loyalty and technical expertise in driving major development projects across Lagos.
He credited the deputy governor with playing pivotal roles in the state’s COVID-19 response, government digitalisation, and critical infrastructure delivery—including the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, the Lekki Deep Sea Port, and the Blue and Red rail lines.
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Sanwo-Olu emphasised that their administration functioned continuously with one voice and a shared vision.
The governor offered these remarks as Hamzat officially unveiled his 2027 governorship manifesto, titled The Lagos PROMISE.
Framing the deputy governor’s campaign as the natural continuation of a governance relay system established in 1999, Sanwo-Olu urged residents to support Hamzat’s bid rather than experiment with untested leadership ahead of the state’s 2052 master plan goals.
