The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has expressed support for Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat as he intensifies consultations with key stakeholders within the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Gbajabiamila affirmed confidence in Hamzat’s capacity to lead the state to greater heights.
“I believe it’s time for us to roll up our sleeves. We have two things. We have an election to win, and we have a state to govern and take it to another level,” he said in a video shared by an X user, Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) on Sunday.
He added, “I have no doubt that you have the capacity to do that. Like I said earlier, you can count on my support.”
Hamzat said his meeting with Gbajabiamila focused on the direction of the state and the work required to move it forward.
“We discussed the direction of our state and the work required to move it forward. It remains our shared responsibility to strengthen Lagos and continue delivering better outcomes for our people. I am focused and clear about the work ahead,” he wrote on X.
Hamzat has been engaging APC power brokers as part of efforts to secure the party’s ticket ahead of the primaries schedule for next month.
Since April 13, he has met with several key party men. They include former deputy governors Femi Pedro and Sarah Adebisi Sosan, as well as former governor and ex-minister Babatunde Fashola. Others are Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, Shakiru Akanni Seriki, Senator Tokunbo Abiru representing Lagos East, immediate past Minister of Finance, Wale Edun and elder statesman Femi Okunnu, alongside former deputy governor Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
Within the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision making body of the APC, he has engaged with its chairman, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, and other leaders such as Adeseye Ogunlewe and Biodun Ogunleye. He also met with the Lagos APC leadership, including state chairman Cornelius Ojelabi, and held talks with Lagos Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa on his policy direction.
Gbajabiamila’s backing comes about two weeks after a member of the House of Representatives, James Faleke, publicly backed Hamzat’s ambition and urged party faithful to rally behind him.
The endorsement, however, drew criticism from an indigenous group, Ibile Parapo, which described the move as provocative and questioned Faleke’s neutrality over his alleged role in an APC screening committee.
