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As Other Governorship Candidates Battle Him
In the crowded race for Alausa in 2027, one name has moved from favourite to inevitable, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat. And it appears it is just a matter of months before the final piece is placed in the puzzle. That should be after 6th , February, 2026 when the guber elections nationwide would have held and winners known. A distinct political feature of Lagos is that long before elections are held,the air around likely winners is so telling that people already know where success would swing. This time however, Hamzat would battle it out with other 16 guber hopefuls who scaled the INEC’s list. Some of them include Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the ADC, Deji Doherty (PDP) and Olufunsho Doherty of the NDC.
That inevitability crystallized last Tuesday when the Deputy Governor took to the Lagos State Television, Ikeja ,to unpack his economic blueprint, “The Lagos PROMISE.”
What Lagosians heard was not campaign sloganeering, but a Systems Engineer’s diagnosis of Africa’s 8th largest economy and a plan to fix it head on.
Hamzat laid out a blueprint drawn from more than 25 years of public service, including pioneering solutions in digital transformation and infrastructure, anchored on continuity, accountability and inclusive growth.
Hamzat pledged to establish a state wealth fund to preserve resources for future generations.
Power for Production: He flagged unstable electricity, logistics costs and illegal levies as MSME killers, and proposed expanding generation by an additional 500 megawatts through embedded generation for industrial clusters and collaborating with Egbin Power Station in Ikorodu. He says Lagos cannot solely rely on the National grid. He called for a state economic council, an integrated transport system linking rail, road and waterways; the digitisation of land administration to speed up the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy.
Transparent Governance: Perhaps his most political masterstroke, he promised to decentralise service delivery across the IBILE divisions and promote transparent and trackable governance. He promised to make Alausa unattractive to the crowd who besiege it daily while adding that all the divisions in Lagos State should be able to carry out the same service delivery like the centre.
Hamzat is a visionary leader with over 25 years of continuous public service. From pioneering Lagos’ digital transformation to serving as Deputy Governor. He is listed as a 2 times Deputy Governor.
Between 2005-2011, he was Commissioner for Science & Technology: Appointed by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and retained by Babatunde Fashola. He deployed cutting-edge technology integrating Lagos State Public Service, making Lagos the first government institution in Africa to implement 11 modules of Oracle ERP. That single reform eliminated ghost workers and saved billions. 2011-2015: Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure. His reputation became physical. He oversaw Nigeria’s first cable-stayed bridge, the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, the Lekki-Epe Expressway expansion, and the Lagos-Badagry Expressway with the Blue Line rail corridor, projects that Lagosians touch daily and that still define the state’s infrastructure signature. 2015-2018: Special Adviser on Works to Minister Fashola at the federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, giving him a federal network and 360-degree view of project delivery. 2019-2027: Deputy Governor of Lagos State: Elected Deputy Governor in 2019 and re-elected in 2023 for a second term.
By 2027, he will make history as the longest-serving Deputy Governor, working alongside Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who himself attested, “We have worked closely for over 21 years.”
Hamzat also carries authentic Lagos DNA. Born on September 19, 1964, in Lagos, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat comes from a distinguished lineage of service. His father, Late Oba Mufutau Olatunji Hamzat, served as a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly and Commissioner for Transportation.
Why He Is The Man To Beat:
In Lagos politics, Hamzat is instantly recognized across 20 LGAs from 22 unbroken years in public service. While fresh faces will burn billions to achieve name recognition in Alimosho, Mushin, Ojo, Badagry and Oshodi-Isolo which produce over 60% of votes. Hamzat is already a household name while the other aspirants for 2027, however loud on social media, are campaigning for an introduction. Hamzat is campaigning on a record.
He has the GAC, he has the incumbent governor’s open endorsement and has the private sector’s ear.
Last week, billionaire businessman,Femi Otedola referred to him as ‘Awaiting Governor’, during a dinner hosted in his honor,a testament to his acceptance of Hamzat and by extension,the likes of Aliko Dangote and Abdul Samad Rabiu of the BUA group. All these men have substantial business interest in Lagos while contributing billions of naira annually to its Internally Generated Revenue.
That is why, right now, the Lagos Deputy governor is the candidate to beat.
Wole Alakija
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