How Hamzat Stepped Aside for Me in 2018 — Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has recounted how his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, stepped aside from the 2018 governorship race after leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) asked him to support his emergence as the party’s candidate.

Sanwo-Olu made the disclosure in a post on his X account on Friday, describing Hamzat’s decision to withdraw from the contest and later become his running mate as an act of selflessness he has never forgotten.

The governor said Hamzat had spent 13 years in public service under former governors Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola and possessed the experience, political backing and credentials to pursue his governorship ambition.

“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,” Sanwo-Olu wrote.

He said Hamzat accepted the decision without resentment, shook his hand and agreed to run as his deputy about five weeks after withdrawing from the race.

Reflecting on their seven years in office, Sanwo-Olu said he had never questioned Hamzat’s loyalty or commitment to their administration.

“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,” he said.

The governor also credited Hamzat with contributing to the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the delivery of major infrastructure projects, including the Blue and Red rail lines and the Lekki Deep Sea Port.

He highlighted Hamzat’s previous roles as commissioner for Science and Technology under Tinubu and commissioner for Works and Infrastructure under Fashola, as well as his engineering background.

Sanwo-Olu’s remarks came as Hamzat unveiled his 2027 governorship manifesto, titled The Lagos PROMISE, ahead of the next governorship election.

The governor urged Lagos residents to support his deputy, describing his ambition as a continuation of the state’s leadership transition since 1999.